A regular MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

september 15, 2020

The Lake County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 9:00 a.m., in the County Commission Chambers, Lake County Administration Building, Tavares, Florida. Commissioners present at the meeting were: Leslie Campione, Chairman; Wendy Breeden, Vice Chairman; Timothy I. Sullivan; Sean Parks; and Josh Blake. Others present were: Jeff Cole, County Manager; Melanie Marsh, County Attorney; Niki Booth, Executive Office Manager, County Manager’s Office; Gary J. Cooney, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller; Kristy Mullane, Chief Financial Officer; and Kathleen Bregel, Deputy Clerk.

INVOCATION and pledge

Commr. Campione remarked that Mr. Kelvin Coachman, Director for the Office of Housing and Human Services, was a hospital corpsman, second class, in the United States (U.S.) Navy, and served at the National Navy Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland as well as the U.S. Navy Hospital in Naples, Italy from 2000 to 2005. She thanked Mr. Coachman for his service and said that the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) was appreciative of him leading the pledge.

Pastor Sidney Brock from Heritage Community Church in the City of Fruitland Park gave the Invocation, and then Mr. Coachman led the Pledge of Allegiance.

virtual meeting instructions

Commr. Campione mentioned that this meeting was a hybrid meeting which was a combination of an in-person meeting and one which allowed individuals to participate virtually. She asked for Mr. Erikk Ross, Director for the Information Technology (IT) Department, to explain how citizens who were listening remotely could participate.

Mr. Ross explained that this meeting was being livestreamed on the County website and was also being made available through a Zoom Webinar for members of the public who were unable to attend in person but wished to provide comments during the Citizen Question and Comment Period later in the agenda. He elaborated that anyone watching though the livestream who wished to speak during the Citizen Question and Comment Period of the meeting could follow the directions currently being broadcast through the stream; furthermore, he relayed that anyone who had joined the webinar via their phone could press *9 on their phones to virtually raise their hand and anyone participating online could click the raise hand button to identify that they wished to speak. He said that when it was time for public comment, he would then identify the person or their phone number, unmute the appropriate line, and allow the citizen to speak for their three minute timeframe. He added that anyone wishing to provide written comments could visit www.lakecountyfl.gov/commissionmeeting, noting that comments presented before 5:00 p.m. the previous day were shared with the Commission prior to this meeting, and that comments sent during this meeting would be shared with the Commission after the meeting was concluded.

Agenda update

Mr. Jeff Cole, County Manager, stated that an attachment on Tab 27 had been revised, which had also been provided to the Board on the previous Friday.

employee service awards

Ms. Jeannine Nelson, Human Resources and Risk Management Manager, announced that they would be recognizing employees who had reached service milestones in their careers with Lake County as follows:

EMPLOYEE AWARDS

FIVE YEARS

Derek Jankowski, Firefighter/EMT

Office of Fire Rescue

Bradley Shelley, Fire Lieutenant/Paramedic

Office of Fire Rescue

Ronald Reider, Maintenance Technician II

Office of Facilities Management

TEN YEARS

Michael Fetzer, Trades Crew Leader

Office of Parks & Trails

Hector Rivera, Sign & Striping Technician II

Public Works Department

FIFTEEN YEARS

Miriam Naas, Financial Coordinator

Office of Human Resources & Risk Management

Travis Newman, Equipment Operator III

Public Works Department

TWENTY YEARS

Scott Amey, Library Assistant II

Office of Library Services

Larry Higgins, Mechanic I

Office of Fleet Management

covid-19 update

Mr. Tommy Carpenter, Director for the Office of Emergency Management, mentioned that this day marked the 183^rd day of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) operations, noting that the Chairman had signed a local state of emergency on March 16, 2020. He reported that the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remained at a Level 2 partial activation, and the Lake County Citizens Information Line (CIL) was open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 352-253-9999, noting that it was closed on the weekends but had recording information which would provide testing locations and the Florida Department of Health (DOH) local COVID-19 hotline at 352-742-4830. He then shared these statistics from the Florida DOH’s website regarding COVID-19 cases within Lake County: there were 7,016 total cumulative positive tests, noting that three weeks prior it was 6,089; total number tested was 81,113, while three weeks ago it was 72,606; since his last report, 8,507 tests had been conducted with 927 testing positive, which equated to a positivity rate of 10.9 percent in that period of time; the total percentage of positive test results was 8.71 percent; and 147 deaths had been reported as of this date with 93 deaths reported three weeks prior. He shared that the county had seen a decrease in the number of positive cases over the weekend, noting that they were beginning to see a downward trend and that the daily positivity rate was near two percent. He indicated that when comparing to surrounding counties, Lake County still had the lowest cumulative positive rate; furthermore, the State’s target for positivity rate was 10 percent and Lake County had remained below that. He relayed that Lake County also had the second highest per capita testing. He indicated that the number one age group for those testing positive was still 25-34 years old, with the second most affected age group being individuals 45-54 years old, the third most affected age group was 35-44, and the fourth age bracket was the ages of 15-24; furthermore, the median age for COVID-19 positive cases was 43, noting it was 42 the last time he reported. He shared that the State of Florida Governor’s Office had posted an update on social media which stated that COVID-19 hospitalizations were down 73 percent since the July 2020 peak, with intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalizations being down 65 percent. He indicated that the number of COVID-19 positive patients being treated in Florida hospitals represented about four percent of all licensed beds, which meant that the hospitals had been able to manage the cases. He then reported on the bed capacity within the three local hospitals, and stated that there was a 25 percent available bed capacity, with a 31.7 percent ICU bed available capacity; furthermore, the hospitals were able to increase the number of beds and staffing if needed. He indicated that his office continued to monitor the hospitals and healthcare facilities on a daily basis for the need for personal protective equipment (PPE), and stated that since April 27, 2020, the County had issued 789,793 pieces of PPE. He said in regards to cases within the county’s long-term care facilities, there were 494 total positive COVID-19 cases to date, including staff and patients, noting that his office as well as the DOH visited the facilities weekly to ensure their infection control processes were performed properly. He then shared COVID-19 testing locations throughout the county, and stated that the need for testing had decreased throughout the county. He remarked that Lake County had the second highest percentage in terms of the number of tests as compared to surrounding counties. He indicated that in mid-July 2020, they had over 10,000 tests per week; however, during the last time period from September 6, 2020 to September 12, 2020, they were at 6,000 tests per week. He commented on the County’s facemask distribution which began on July 7, 2020, and reported that a total of 67,425 masks had been distributed through the end of the previous week. He also acknowledged that Lake Support and Emergency Recovery (LASER) had assisted 62 businesses, churches and agencies with over 58,000 cloth masks, 1,300 procedure masks, and had continued to provide the hand sanitizer and gloves as needed. He mentioned that the DOH continued to work with Lake County schools, both private and public, to work through their COVID-19 operations; furthermore, there had not been any transmission at school as the only cases had occurred at home or outside the school. He concluded with an update regarding hurricane season. He mentioned that they were currently tracking four tropical cyclones, with two being hurricanes and two being tropical storms; however, none currently were expected to hit the State of Florida. He reminded everyone that the middle of August through the end of October was the busiest time of the hurricane season.

Mr. Cole remarked that Ms. Jo-Anne Drury, Deputy County Manager, would be discussing the $2 million in funding that her office was administering and dispersing through several sources towards rental, mortgage and utility assistance; additionally, Mr. Brandon Matulka, Executive Director for the Agency for Economic Prosperity, would be discussing the $16 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding that the County received from the State. He recalled that the bulk of this $16 million was being provided to businesses through a grant program. He then shared some information regarding the overall CARES Act funding. He recapped that the State had notified the County in June 2020 that they would be provided $64 million, and that on July 27, 2020, the State provided the County with 25 percent of that funding, or $16 million. He indicated that they were informed that the remaining 75 percent, or $48 million, would be provided only on a reimbursement basis and only after the original 25 percent had been expended. He commented that this resulted in significant feedback from local governments to the State that it was not realistic to expect local governments to be able to upfront that amount of funding; therefore, the State began to indicate in August 2020 that it might upfront the funding with approved spend plans, although no decisions had been made yet. He relayed that his office had been in regular communications with the County’s lobbyists who had been actively working on the County’s behalf with the State of Florida Governor’s Office as well as the Florida Division of Emergency Management to affect that change. He said that the previous week, they had been informed that the State did not even have the remaining 75 percent of funds in hand and that this funding was still with the Federal Government, noting that his office was attempting to verify this information. He expressed concerns regarding accessing the remaining 75 percent of the funding especially since the requirements were that this funding had to be expended by December 30, 2020; therefore, he recommended that the Board make decisions as soon as possible on how they wished to allocate the remaining 75 percent of the uncommitted funding so that staff could then prepare and submit spend plans to the State.

Ms. Drury then reported on the approximate $2 million in funding earmarked for housing assistance for residents impacted by COVID-19. She recapped that approximately $469,000 in State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) funds was for rental and deposit assistance, that about $300,000 in CARES Act Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV) funds was for mortgage, rental and utility assistance, and that around $1.2 million in the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) grant was for mortgage, rental and utility assistance. She indicated that they began accepting applications for the $469,787 in SHIP funds on June 1, 2020, stopped accepting applications on August 1, 2020, awarded $341,811 to 40 households, declined 75 applications for a variety of reasons, and that 55 applications were still under review for completion by the end of the week. She relayed that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) finalized the $300,000 CDBG-CV grant on August 7, 2020 and published the requirements on August 11, 2020. She commented that on this same date, the BCC approved reallocating funding to non-congregate sheltering and rental, mortgage and utility assistance; furthermore, HUD required a public display period and a public hearing which were both competed on August 31, 2020, noting that the final approval of the reallocation of the funds to the non-congregate sheltering and housing needs was on the Board’s current meeting consent agenda. She stated that they were in the process of finalizing a sub-recipient agreement with the United Way for the Chairman’s signature so that they could assist with the administration of the rental, mortgage and utility assistance program. She also shared that they had recently received an update that there would be an additional award of approximately $1.2 million in CDBG COVID-19 funds, noting that there would be several steps in the process before these funds would be available for the County to administer. She indicated that these funds may also be restricted to residents in the unincorporated area or in one of the urban county partner Cities of Tavares, Leesburg and Minneola. She then reported the following on the $1.2 million CRF grant which came through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC): the application process opened on August 10, 2020 and closed on September 11, 2020; based on the funding received, they expected to be able to assist 400 households at a maximum award of $3,000; they began reviewing applications on August 17, 2020; Lake County and the United Way were partnering on the review process; funds were anticipated to be expended by October 30, 2020; they received 1,171 applications with 519 received within the first three days; 2,428 applications were started but not officially submitted; 205 applications had been reviewed so far; 125 applications had been awarded to date with about $308,000 of funding, noting that the United Way began issuing checks on September 4, 2020 and Lake County would begin issuing checks during this week in conjunction with the Lake County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Finance Department; 80 applications had been declined, which was about a 50 percent decline rate; the main reasons for decline were that if individuals did not have past due rent or mortgage, then they could not be assisted since this program was designed to be an eviction and foreclosure prevention program and/or if they were requesting utility assistance only without mortgage or rental assistance they would not qualify; and 667 of the 1,171 applicants had been notified that they were being placed on a waiting list since current funding would likely be depleted prior to their application being reached. She mentioned that some of the challenges experienced by the review team were that it was a complex and time consuming process in order to comply with the FHFC requirements for the grant, and that applications missing key information and forms required extensive correspondence with applicants. She said they were working to add additional temporary staff in order to accelerate the “review to decision” process, although they were having difficulty finding qualified staff. She indicated that the estimated unmet need for the current program included approximately $1 million for those applicants on the waiting list, and about $3.6 million for the unsubmitted applications, for a total of $4.6 million. She explained that based on the assumption that 50 percent would be ineligible for a variety of reasons, there would be around 333 households out of the 667 applicants on the waiting list, which if multiplied by the $3,000 maximum award amount, would equate to an estimated $1 million; furthermore, there would be about 1,214 households out of the 2,428 unsubmitted applications, times the $3,000 award amount, which would equate to approximately $3.6 million. She concluded by sharing the following items for the Board’s consideration: to fund the approximate $4.6 million unmet need of the current program; to fund about $5.8 million in order to expand the program to assist additional households affected by COVID-19, noting that these could possibly be households that did not have past due bills but were still negatively impacted, or only needed utility assistance, or were temporarily providing support to non-household family members; and staff’s proposal to earmark $13 million of the $48 million CARES Act funds for housing assistance.

Commr. Breeden thanked Ms. Drury for the detailed information, and inquired if she was requesting the $13 million as it appeared that her estimates were slightly lower than that.

Ms. Drury replied that their estimates were slightly lower around $10 million and that it would depend on how the program was expanded.

Commr. Breeden added that there could possibly be people in the next few months who have been maintaining but might begin running out of funds and need assistance; therefore, this program may see additional needs, and Ms. Drury agreed.

Mr. Cole commented that the estimates were based on staff’s assumptions that 50 percent would be ineligible and also that everyone applied within the application timeframe, which he noted was probably not accurate and that there were likely more people who would like to apply. He summarized that while these numbers were lower than what staff had previously recommended, they expected for there to be additional requests for funding. He suggested that the proposed $13 million in funding be discussed once Mr. Matulka made his presentation as he would recap the potential funding categories and recommended levels of funding.

Commr. Sullivan asked if the parameters of which households were eligible were expanded with the $48 million in funding, and Mr. Cole replied that was what was being suggested. Commissioner Sullivan believed it was important to expand the program because there were people who were out of work and attempting to keep current on their bills but were not eligible for this program.

Commr. Campione remarked that some people were making ends meet by using credit cards or borrowing money from family members; therefore, she said by expanding the program, it would allow those who were paying their bills but had accumulated other debt to receive assistance. She said it was important to remember that with the moratorium on rent, there were landlords who were not receiving any income and she felt this would help the landlords. She recalled that some surrounding counties gave out $5,000 to $6,000 in funding for rental and mortgage assistance while Lake County only gave out $3,000. She suggested possibly going back to those who had already applied and increasing their funding amount across the board. She asked if the BCC needed to make a decision in order to develop a spend plan to be submitted for the possibility of receiving the $48 million upfront instead of as a reimbursement.

Mr. Cole replied that he would encourage the Board to make decisions, but suggested that they wait till after Mr. Matulka’s presentation so they could have the full context of the funding.

Mr. Matulka introduced the new Director for the Office of Visit Lake, Mr. Robert Price. He shared that Mr. Price was coming to Lake County after five years as the Director of Tourism Development for Visit Tampa Bay, that he had more than 20 years of experience in the tourism industry, and that he had worked a decade in sales with Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater as their senior sales manager for leisure travel. He relayed the County’s excitement to have Mr. Price on the team, and indicated that he had already met with many of Lake County’s tourism leaders in the community and the region.

Commr. Sullivan mentioned that Mr. Price had participated in several sporting events within Lake County.

Mr. Price confirmed that he had been a consumer and competitor in the county and was excited to now be living in the community.

Mr. Matulka then provided an update on the Lake CARES Small Business Assistance Grant Program, the overall CARES Act funding, the proposed funding categories, and the Board approved projects and allocations. He stated that the Lake CARES Small Business Assistance Grant Program began taking applications on August 17, 2020 for both nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses. He explained that the initial eligibility for the program was geared towards those small businesses that were most affected by the mandatory shutdowns as being deemed nonessential and who had 25 or fewer full time employees, noting that the Lake Cares working group led by Commissioner Parks had established this criteria. He reported that they received over 850 applications in phase one of the program, that they were currently in the review process of those applications, that two batches of payments were currently being processed by the Lake County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Office, and that the call center was still in operation. He indicated that phase two for this program was announced on September 4, 2020, and began accepting applications on September 8, 2020; additionally, the Board had authorized the County Manager at their August 25, 2020 meeting to implement phase two changes to the program. He stated that these changes included expanding the eligibility of the program to every business in the county regardless of essential classification related to COVID-19, allowing essential and nonessential businesses to apply for the program in order to gain assistance, and dropped the full time employee cap requirements. He remarked that the application process for the new phase remained as short and streamlined as possible thanks to the joint efforts of Lake County’s Administrative Services, the County Attorney’s Office, and the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Office. He displayed the new award amounts, and noted the addition of a $10,000 award amount for businesses that had more than 50 full time employees. He indicated that the deadline to accept applications was September 22, 2020, and that staff planned to continue to gauge the interest in the program, and assess the amount of funding remaining once the program closed, with the goal to reallocate that funding to businesses which had provided completed applications. He relayed that after assessing the program over the past week, staff felt that the award amounts could be raised in order to increase assistance to businesses and to incentivize new applications as they moved forward through the current week, noting that any new applications would qualify for the new award amount and any application that had already been paid would receive a check for the difference in funding without having to fill out a new application. He relayed that staff was recommending to double the award amounts as displayed on the screen for all of the categories, noting that staff could message this information out to the community.

Commr. Campione pointed out that these amounts would make Lake County more consistent with other counties, such as Seminole County, which she said had award amounts of $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000.

Commr. Breeden asked if there was any consideration of having the third tier for the award amount being 10 to 25 employees, and then the fourth tier would be any business over 25 employees.

Mr. Matulka responded that staff could review that breakdown and how many businesses were in each category, noting that they could consider how many businesses had received funding and were at the 25 to 50 employee range.

Commr. Campione and Commissioner Breeden both agreed to not let this slow up the process.

Mr. Matulka then displayed a recap of the overall CARES Act funding for Lake County, noting that they were allocated $64 million in total, the initial $16 million of the allocation had been received, and the remaining $48 million was still only accessible through reimbursement, although there was the possibility that this could be expanded. He mentioned that the funding categories for the remaining $48 million which staff had proposed were business assistance, resident assistance, workforce/education assistance, public safety, City, County, and Constitutional Officer assistance, and contingency funds. He then shared that the Board approved projects which included the Lake CARES Business Assistance Program for $16 million, the Lake County School Board assistance for $1,676,245 for COVID-19 related expenses, and the City, County, and Constitutional Officer assistance for $15 million, with $10 million to municipalities and $5 million to County and Constitutional Officers. He elaborated that this would provide each municipality with a base level of funding around $75,000, and would allocate the remaining $10 million in funds based on a percentage of population per municipality, noting that the County Attorney had provided agreements to the municipalities which were due back by September 18, 2020. He then displayed a chart which depicted the proposed funding amounts for each category as discussed at previous Board meetings, as well as the approved funding amounts of approximately $32 million for the approved projects just mentioned. He commented that there was just over $31 million that had not been approved for any specific projects yet; furthermore, for any Board decisions made at this meeting, staff would work to include in any spending plan and in future communications that they would have with the appropriate State and local parties.

Commr. Breeden asked for clarification on what the $6 million for emergency medical services (EMS) countywide communications infrastructure would be used for.

Mr. Matulka replied that roughly $4 million was for the microwave communication backbone system that all the county’s first responders and hospitals utilized to communicate. He said the remaining portion was used for items such as increased testing, hurricane preparedness related to COVID-19, and other items relating to public health and safety.

Commr. Parks asked for further explanation on what the Cities would be receiving and what the $75,000 base rate would be spent on.

Mr. Cole explained that staff had conversations with the Cities prior to coming to the Board on August 25, 2020 when they decided to allocate $10 million in funding to the Cities. He reiterated that interlocal agreements had then been provided to the Cities which set forth the obligations for the Cities to spend the funding according to the eligibility criteria for the CARES Act funding. He relayed that the Cities were required to return the interlocal agreements, as well as their spend plans, to the County by the end of the current week; therefore, staff was not yet aware of what the Cities might spend the funding on, noting that they had heard some of the items might be for infrastructure such as plexiglass, PPE, and things related to government operations. He added that some Cities had mentioned possibly providing additional grant funding to businesses within their municipalities, which would be separate from the County, although the County was providing them with the County application and criteria process. He reiterated that staff hoped to know by the coming Friday what the City spend plans might look like, with the goal to assimilate those together in order to provide one spend plan to propose to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM).

Commr. Parks said it was important to have flexibility and to have details on what the City was doing so as not to be duplicative, although he opined that in some situations, such as additional business awards or housing assistance, that might be fine.

Commr. Blake inquired what the oversight might be for this to determine if the obligations had been met.

Mr. Cole responded that according to the State and Federal Government, the obligation for all the funding was on the County; therefore, they wanted to transfer that obligation to the Cities so that the County did not get into a position of having to be obligated for expenses if they were not eligible. He said that the County was only providing guidance to the Cities on their spend plans as to what they believed to be eligible, noting that the obligation would ultimately be on the City.

Commr. Sullivan inquired how they could prevent duplicity. He expressed concerns that $26 million of the $64 million was going to government since he felt the COVID-19 funding was set up to assist people in the business communities, and opined that government did not drive the economy. He indicated that he was not opposed to the County being reimbursed for expenses related to COVID-19 since they were over and above what would have been spent within the budget; however, he struggled with that amount of funding going to government when businesses were failing, which could affect their ability to pay their taxes and then affect the County and the Cities. He opined that it was tricky and that the County needed to be cautious. He said that the $6 million for the EMS infrastructure was a normal course of business and he was not sure how that was considered a COVID-19 expense.

Commr. Campione said those were good comments. She said that the County business program was set up so that businesses inside and outside of the cities could get assistance, noting this was the same for the rental and housing assistance. She believed these should be countywide programs since they could be accessed by people whether they lived in the city limits or county; however, she felt that funding going to the Cities should specifically be for their out-of-pocket expenses such as for PPE, plexiglass, additional overtime, etc. that went above their normal budget due to COVID-19.

Commr. Breeden said that it was a good point to consider for the individual rental and mortgage assistance so people would not receive double funding; however, she said she was not opposed to the Cities providing additional business assistance due to the amount of money businesses had lost and the fact she thought the County program might not be providing as much as the businesses needed.

Commr. Campione opined that the City funding would not increase the business funding enough to make up for the losses; additionally, she indicated it would be better to increase funding for businesses across the board since businesses provide jobs. She encouraged the County to review surrounding counties and the amount they gave to businesses as she thought this would assist businesses both inside and outside city limits.

Mr. Cole cautioned the Board that when they approved the funding for Cities on August 25, 2020, staff had proceeded with that based on how it was currently described without the parameters the Board was currently discussing. He recognized what the Board was considering, and noted that staff could go back to the Cities and place those parameters, but wanted the Board to remember that the Cities moved forward on August 25, 2020 without the parameters.

Commr. Blake expressed agreement with Commissioner Sullivan’s comments. He indicated that he had also received feedback from the business community regarding this. He also did not think this should be used to upgrade infrastructure; rather, the priority needed to be on getting the funding to those who were past-due on their bills and to those who would employ Lake County citizens. He mentioned that he wished the Board had placed a requirement such that the municipalities could have access to this funding if they used the rollback millage rate so that people’s taxes did not increase. He stated that he would like to have more conditions on this funding even though he realized this would be changing what had already been relayed.

Commr. Parks reiterated his desire for as much funding as possible to go towards businesses, although he realized there were housing needs as well; additionally, he still supported funding for workforce education initiatives. He agreed with getting specifics on what the Cities were going to spend the funding on, especially if they were looking for reimbursements for public safety items as he thought the $10 million could be utilized significantly.

Commr. Campione recalled her previous discussions regarding how other counties were providing direct assistance to residents so they did not have to go into debt by paying bills on their credit cards. She said this was another way to provide assistance, that it put money back into the economy that could go to businesses, and that it helped to address the overall impacts of COVID-19 on the community. She agreed with the other Commissioners’ concerns regarding the $15 million allocated to City, County and Constitutional Officers; furthermore, she stated that the expenses that government had relating to COVID-19 which went over their budget was what should be addressed. She also inquired if someone who owned and managed rental properties would qualify as a business under the County’s business program.

Commr. Breeden noted that some landlords were having to assist their renters with applying for the assistance as some renters might not have the skill set to know how to apply.

Commr. Parks asked for clarification that someone who had a corporation which was Lake County based and owned properties they were renting as their business, if they were eligible for the County’s business assistance.

Mr. Matulka replied that they would be eligible and would need to provide documentation that they were a legitimate business operating in Lake County with a physical location in the county.

Commr. Campione opined that they would most likely not have any employees and would only receive the original amount of $2,000 which would not offset much.

Commr. Parks reiterated the need to remain flexible, and inquired if the award amounts could possibly be higher as there might be businesses which needed $25,000. He asked if they could reapply.

Mr. Matulka responded that they attempted to evolve the amounts to meet the need, noting that the maximum award would be up to $20,000 for 25 employees and above. He thought this was one of the higher rates for businesses in the region. He reiterated that there was still the ability to revisit this if there was funding remaining or if the Board wanted to allocate additional funding from the $48 million; furthermore, he indicated that with the first batch of payments, staff would be adjusting the amount by issuing an additional payment without the applicant having to reapply.

Commr. Campione opined that landlords were an essential component of affordable housing since they were the ones making properties available, and she felt that maybe this was missed in the County’s business assistance program since it did not really help the landlords. She expressed concerns for tenants not applying for the housing assistance which then affected the landlord who was not receiving their payment. She wondered if the County could go back to the Cities and inform them that the County was attempting to increase the assistance given to businesses, tenants, landlords and housing; therefore, the County wanted the Cities to keep that out of their spend plan and submit to the County what their proposed spend plan would be without those components.

Commr. Breeden inquired if the Cities could apply for reimbursement from the County for their expenses rather than have additional City plans.

Mr. Cole stated that the County had received two spend plans to date, noting that one was quite thorough which was predominantly for expenses the City had already incurred to keep the public safe; additionally, there was a component of their spend plan that looked to the future for items they still needed to accomplish, noting they were all consistent with what the BCC was discussing, such as the purchase of computers so there could be more spacing for library users. He commented that if the Board was amenable to expenses already incurred and their government expenses moving forward, up to December 30, 2020, then County staff could communicate that to the Cities. He relayed that the questions he had received regarding putting funding towards businesses or rental assistance had only come from about three municipalities. He summarized that what he believed the BCC was relaying was that they were fine with the Cities’ expenses related to COVID-19 in the past and the future. He explained that past expenses could be submitted for reimbursement once the County had access to the $48 million and did not necessarily have to be a part of the spend plan, although he noted that might be the safest way to commit that funding; however, they would have to do that for items that had not yet been purchased or installed.

Commr. Campione said that was a good way to approach it. She then asked about the $5 million allocated to the County and the Constitutional Officers.

Mr. Cole relayed that staff had asked the same thing of the Constitutional Officers, which he said was specific to their financial impacts, noting that the Lake County Tax Collector’s Office had made changes with the way people utilize his office in regards to distancing and the addition of barriers. He commented that there were expenses the Constitutional Officers had incurred that would otherwise come out of their tax dollars as well as expenses they were looking to incur. He stated that their spend plans were also due at the end of the current week. He reported that the County had incurred approximately $600,000 to $700,000 in expenses since March 2020. He indicated that they had the ability for most of that to apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement; however, he recommended that the County not utilize that process as he was anticipating that with all the jurisdictions within the country applying for FEMA funding, there would not be adequate funding available for everyone, plus the process could take many years. He encouraged the County to take the opportunity to reimburse its reserves, which was what was utilized for the expenses, noting that there would also be additional expenses moving forward. He said that out of the $5 million, staff was considering for $2 million to go to the Constitutional Officers and $3 million to go to the County, although he thought the County would be under that amount.

Commr. Breeden suggested having a special BCC meeting the following week after the Cities had submitted their plans.

Commr. Campione and Commissioner Parks agreed that was a good idea.

Mr. Cole indicated that would work, and said that staff would need a couple of days to review the plans. He asked if the Board wanted staff to provide the additional guidance suggested by the Board to the Cities regarding the plans being only for COVID-19 expenses.

Commr. Campione and Commissioner Breeden thought that direction should be provided to the Cities. Commissioner Campione opined that it was better for the residents for the programs to be done countywide.

Commr. Breeden inquired if staff could provide some information on what it might cost if the County simply gave checks to households at a certain income level similar to what Commissioner Campione had mentioned.

Commr. Campione commented that Orange County did not have an income verification, although she noted that county had an enormous amount of funding that they had to give out; furthermore, she related that if residents showed verification of living in Orange County, then they received a $1,000 check.

Commr. Parks remarked that he preferred not to take that approach in Lake County as he felt that the funding should go to housing and directly to the landlord. He said he did not support the “no questions asked” approach to giving out funding. He thought that fit within the County’s philosophy to help businesses as much as possible.

Commr. Campione stated that the County was six months into the COVID-19 situation and was giving $3,000 as a maximum award in housing; therefore, if they were able to increase that amount as well as expand the parameters, then she thought they should go back and address those on the waiting list.

Commr. Parks asked if it was an approximate additional $1 million and if it should go directly to housing.

Ms. Drury replied there were 667 applicants who were placed on a waiting list, based on an assumed decline rate of 50 percent, which was estimated to cost $1 million.

Commr. Breeden wondered if the Board should consider increasing the award amount to $4,000.

Commr. Campione commented that the Board would have to decide where to pull the funding from.

Commr. Breeden suggested it could come from either the City, County, Constitutional Officers assistance, or the contingency funds.

Mr. Cole relayed that there were no plans for the contingency funds as they were merely a placeholder for funds. He reminded the Board that according to federal guidelines, there had to be a tie to COVID-19 related expenses and impacts for the funding.

Commr. Campione indicated that Orange County residents had to prove they had COVID-19 related impacts but there was not an income requirement. She supported addressing those on the waiting list and increasing the award amount for rental assistance since this would also help the landlords.

Commr. Sullivan said he agreed with that, and suggested taking the funding out of the $15 million from the County and Constitutional Officers. He recalled that the County spent around $600,000 but had $3 million earmarked to come to the County, noting that he understood there could be more expenses but felt it would not be as much as the $5 million total. He commented that in regards to the $10 million going to the Cities, he had heard that some of the Cities were considering direct assistance and he did not think that would meet the COVID-19 guidelines. He suggested leaving the $4 million in the contingency funds as a backup if needed.

Commr. Campione inquired the Board’s opinion on the countywide infrastructure item.

Mr. Cole asked for Mr. John Molenda, Deputy County Manager, to address this in regards to how it related to COVID-19 as well as to discuss the County’s ability to expend those funds.

Mr. Molenda explained that $4 to $4.5 million would go towards the infrastructure for communications for towers. He elaborated that the current microwave to support communications was in need of replacement, noting that they had seen a direct impact with the dispatch and communications that were necessary for computer aided dispatch (CAD) and for dispatching the community partners throughout the county. He said that funding would be dedicated to the replacement of that as well as the ongoing changes for COVID-19, and for using the communications to expand the services provided to all agencies including fire rescue, EMS, hospital staff and law enforcement. He commented that the remaining type of funding that went into that was a placeholder for items still to be determined since there was a lot of replacement of infrastructure in terms of generators and such; additionally, EMS had seen a surge in equipment demands, medication and protocol changes, staffing needs, assistance provided to the DOH by EMS and fire rescue with homeless individuals and housing for quarantine, long-term care facilities etc. He recapped that funding was an estimation of what they might possibly need to maintain and increase what they were currently doing and to look towards advancements to long-term situations with COVID-19.

Commr. Campione thanked Mr. Molenda for the explanation. She said she would support items such as PPE stockpiling to ensure there was enough, having EMS and fire rescue work with the DOH to go into long-term care facilities to assist with testing since it required additional manpower, training, PPE, and having additional reserve generators as there may be a greater need for generators for sheltering due to COVID-19; however, in regards to radios and towers, while she thought those were legitimate public safety concerns that needed focus, she was not comfortable utilizing this funding for those items.

Commr. Blake inquired if there had not been CARES Act funding, then what was the plan to address the communications tower need.

Mr. Molenda responded that staff had been reviewing that and had planned to set aside funding over the next two years for the replacement. He explained that one of the reasons this item came forward was that another state had submitted and used CARES Act funding for this item; therefore, staff wanted to explore this possibility since it was eligible through another agency. He relayed that staff reviewed and consulted with the County Attorney’s Office and determined that it was permissible to use COVID-19 funding, noting that staff was still working with the State to ensure this. He reiterated that because others had utilized this funding for that expense, staff considered a benefit to doing it. He remarked that many people do not realize the PPE that is needed and the changes associated with other things that are impacted by COVID-19; furthermore, he relayed that he and Mr. Carpenter had been working on the impacts to sheltering during a hurricane with social distance requirements, noting that it required PPE, extra spacing, and the communications needed for shelters that had not been previously used. He summarized that because of COVID-19, social distancing and PPE, it affected not just their daily functions but even the needs during an emergency such as a hurricane, noting that funding can be quite costly for these items.

Mr. Cole relayed his understanding that the Board did not want to spend the funding on the communications infrastructure; therefore, he indicated that the $6 million designated for this would become available for use. He felt that the $3 million for the County, which was part of the $5 million for the County and Constitutional Officers, could be used for the PPE stockpiling. He added that there was also the contingency funds.

Commr. Parks asked if the generators could be included as he thought they would be important. He also inquired how they would then pay for the communications infrastructure if it was not paid for with the CARES Act funding.

Mr. Cole said he was unsure of the cost for the generators but that staff could calculate that for the Board. He replied that they would utilize sales tax revenue for the communications infrastructure.

Commr. Breeden asked about the medication changes that Mr. Molenda had mentioned.

Mr. Molenda remarked that there were constant changes to medication based on vendors and manufacturers, noting that they have to constantly change their protocols due to this. He indicated that this affected many levels including what supplies go on the ambulance and fire trucks but also how calls are dispatched and the training associated.

Mr. Cole summarized that if the Board desired to put some additional funding towards the resident assistance component to expand that program, then Ms. Drury would need some further guidance. He reminded the Board that this would be part of the $48 million.

Ms. Drury inquired if the Board was wanting to increase the maximum award from $3,000 to $4,000 per household; additionally, for those applicants who had already been awarded funds, did they want staff to compensate them for the difference if they were past due beyond the $3,000.

Commr. Campione replied that was correct.

Commr. Parks asked how much that would cost.

Mr. Drury responded that based on the 125 applicants already funded, it would be approximately $125,000; furthermore, to fund the people on the waiting list at $4,000 per household, it would be around $1.4 million, assuming a 50 percent decline rate. She suggested possibly increasing it up to $2 million in case the decline rate were to decrease to 40 percent and more people were eligible.

Mr. Cole asked Ms. Drury how much she would recommend that the Board allocate in order to increase the existing awards and expand the program to include the additional criteria at a higher level.

Ms. Drury recommended $2 million for this.

Commr. Breeden asked if this $2 million was part of the $13 million proposed or in addition to it.

Ms. Drury clarified that staff had proposed earmarking $13 million from the $48 million for housing assistance; therefore, she recommended an additional $1 million be added to this which would make the total proposed funding at $14 million.

Commr. Campione summarized that staff would provide additional parameters to the Cities and that the Board would possibly plan an additional BCC meeting for the following week.

Mr. Cole confirmed consensus from the Board to increase the allocation for resident assistance to $14 million out of the $48 million.

Commr. Breeden, Commissioner Sullivan, and Commissioner Campione supported increasing it to $15 million.

Mr. Cole indicated that for the special BCC meeting the following week, staff would provide a list of the expanded criteria related to the $15 million for the Board’s review and discussion; additionally, they would provide a new chart of the funding categories and proposed allocated amounts based on the Board’s discussions at this meeting.

Commr. Blake asked how many businesses had gone out of business.

Mr. Matulka replied he did not know that number. He encouraged the Board to continue to relay the message for businesses to apply, noting that staff was attempting to reach as many of them as they could.

Commr. Campione opined that word of mouth was a good way to get the message out, and she encouraged people to talk to their places of business regarding applying for assistance.

Mr. Cole indicated that staff would message the increase in the award amounts to the businesses, and would continue to relay the application deadline as well, with the hope that more businesses might apply since the amount had increased.

Mr. Cole recapped the Board’s direction as follows: staff would reach out to the municipalities to ensure they understood the Board’s position on the expenses with the hope staff would know by the coming Friday what the expenses would be; staff would coordinate a special BCC meeting for the following week and report on the Cities’ expenses as well as provide an updated spreadsheet of categories which would eliminate the $6 million category for the EMS communications infrastructure and create a $10 million contingency/reserves category that the Board could reallocate; staff would take care of the changes to the business assistance program; and staff would prepare to allocate the resident assistance to $15 million. He encouraged the Board to make as many decisions as possible at the next meeting so that staff could begin to submit plans to the State.

Minutes approval

On a motion by Commr. Sullivan, seconded by Commr. Breeden, and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the minutes for the BCC meeting of July 7, 2020 (Regular Meeting).

citizen question and comment period

Mr. Ross indicated that one citizen participating virtually had raised their hand to speak; however, this citizen did not speak when given the chance.

CLERK OF the Circuit COURT and comptroller’s CONSENT AGENDA

On a motion by Commr. Breeden, seconded by Commr. Blake and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Consent Agenda, Items 1 and 2, as follows:

List of Warrants

Request to acknowledge receipt of the list of warrants paid prior to this meeting, pursuant to Chapter 136.06 (1) of the Florida Statutes, which shall be incorporated into the Minutes as attached Exhibit A and filed in the Board Support Division of the Clerk's Office.

City of Tavares Ordinances

Request to acknowledge receipt of Annexation Ordinances 2020-06 and 2020-08 from the City of Tavares.

COUNTY MANAGER’S CONSENT AGENDA

Commr. Sullivan requested for Tab 4 to be pulled from the Consent Agenda for discussion.

On a motion by Commr. Breeden, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the Consent Agenda, Tabs 3 through 39, pulling Tab 4 for discussion, as follows:

PROCLAMATIONS

Request approval of Proclamation 2020-130 designating September 17 - 23, 2020, as Constitution Week in Lake County, per Commissioner Parks.

COUNTY ATTORNEY

Request approval to extend the 2020 tax roll until completion of the Value Adjustment Board hearings. There is no fiscal impact.

COUNTY MANAGER

Request approval of the 2021 meeting dates for the Board of County Commissioners: January 12 and 26; February 9 and 23; March 9 and 23; April 13 and 27; May 11 and 25; June 8 and 22; July 13 and 27; August 10 and 24; September 14 and 28; October 12 and 26; November 9 and 23; and December 7 and 21.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

Management and Budget

Request approval to apply for the Fiscal Year 2020 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program Local Solicitation for the Lake County Sheriff's Office to purchase employee health assistance software, and authorization for the Chairman to execute any required grant documents. The fiscal impact is $33,393.00 (revenue/expenditure).

Request approval:

1. Of unanticipated revenue Resolution 2020-168 amending the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 General Fund Budget for the receipt of funds per service agreements between the Lake County Sheriff and the City of Minneola, the City of Tavares and the Lake County School Board.

2. To increase the FY 2020 transfer from the General Fund to the Lake County Sheriff by a like amount.

The fiscal impact is $9,218.00 (revenue/expenditure).

Request approval of the Lake County Sheriff's Office request to transfer funds from General Fund Reserves to Transfer/Jail Operations-DEP/AST. The fiscal impact is $100,000.00 (expenditure).

Procurement Services

Request approval to declare items as surplus and authorization to remove these items from the County’s official fixed asset inventory records. The fiscal impact (revenue) cannot be determined at this time.

HUMAN RESOURCES AND RISK MANAGEMENT

Request approval of a First Amendment to the Interlocal Agreement with the Supervisor of Elections related to Staff Services. The fiscal impact per election is $3,000.00 (revenue), and varies annually.

Request approval:

1. To renew the County's annual loss control program insurance policies with Princeton and other insurance companies.

2. Of Brown & Brown's annual fees for professional services.

3. Of pre-funding the Tenant Users Liability Insurance Program (TULIP).

4. For the Office of Procurement Services to execute all supporting documentation.

The estimated total impact for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 is $2,070,828.00 (expenditure).

AGENCY FOR ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

Request approval of a Memorandum of Agreement to provide funding to the United Arts of Central Florida on behalf of the Lake County Arts and Cultural Alliance. The fiscal impact is $10,000.00 (expenditure - Lake County Arts and Cultural Alliance funding).

Request approval of a Tourist Development Sponsorship agreement with Timothy Frederick for fiscal years 2021, 2022, and 2023. The annual fiscal impact is $60,000.00 (expenditure - Tourism Development Tax funding).

Request approval of an amendment to the agreement with The Spring Games, LLC (Clermont, FL) to extend the termination date of the agreement to September 30, 2020. There is no additional fiscal impact. Commission Districts 2 and 3. 

Request approval of sponsorship funding associated with the Greater Orlando Sports Commission (GO Sports) bid for the 2021 International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation World Waterski Championships in Groveland, and authorization for the Chairman to execute the agreement with GO Sports if selected as event host location. The fiscal impact is not to exceed $125,000.00 (expenditure - Tourism Development Tax funding). Commission District 1.

Request approval of a contract amendment and extension with the Central Florida Sports Commission, d/b/a The Greater Orlando Sports Commission (GO Sports). The annual fiscal impact is not to exceed $150,000.00 through Fiscal Year 2025 (expenditure - Tourism Development Tax funding).

Request approval to advertise an ordinance to amend Chapter 7, Lake County Code, entitled Economic Development and Business Incentives, to allow grants of up to 20 years for phased development projects if higher job creation and capital investments thresholds are met. The fiscal impact cannot be determined at this time.

PUBLIC SAFETY AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Animal Services

Request approval of a budget transfer from the Animal Shelter Donations Fund operating expenditures to capital expenditures. The fiscal impact is $70,430.00 (expenditure).

Emergency Management

Request approval to accept the donation of a mobile generator from the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The generator is valued at $81,000.00; the County will be responsible for routine storage, staging and maintenance costs.

Request ratification of a Non-Congregate Sheltering Agreement with Mission Inn Resorts, Inc., executed by the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners on August 20, 2020, under the authority of Resolution 2020-134, and authorization for the Chairman to execute future amendments to adjust the contract to reflect other funding sources that may become available. The fiscal impact of this agreement, and any approved sheltering agreements, will not collectively exceed $100,000.00 (expenditure) and the expenditures are eligible for reimbursement through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Emergency Medical Services

Request approval:

1. Of CompX Security Products (Grayslake, IL) as a limited competition supplier for narcotics electronic locking (eLock) system and related software.

2. Of the purchase of the locking system for all Office of Emergency Medical Services safes.

3. For the Office of Procurement Services to execute all related purchasing documents.

The estimated impact for fiscal year 2020 is $49,610.00 (expenditure).

Request approval of a Release of Liability requested by Orlando Health for the donation of a Handtevy (pediatric resuscitation) System. There is no fiscal impact.

PUBLIC SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Housing and Human Services

Request:

1. Retroactive approval of purchases from Software Housing International (SHI) for application management software by Submittal Holdings, LLC, used to collect and manage the application and review process for the Florida Housing Finance Corporation's Coronavirus Relief Fund Grant program providing rental, mortgage, and utility assistance for Lake County residents.

2. Approval to authorize the Office of Procurement Services to execute all supporting documentation.

The fiscal impact is $12,096.00 (expenditure - 100 percent grant funded).

Request approval of Unanticipated Revenue Resolution 2020-165 to amend the Section 8 Fund in order to receive unanticipated revenue in supplemental COVID-19 administrative fees from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for Fiscal Year 2020, and approval to provide appropriations for the disbursement of these funds. The fiscal impact is $83,892.00 (revenue/expenditure).

Request approval of the Section 8 update to the 5-Year Public Housing Agency Plan, and authorization for the Chairman to execute all related and additional documents required by the Department of Housing and Human Development. There is no fiscal impact.

Request approval of the Annual State Housing Initiatives Partnership Closeout Report for Fiscal Year 2017, and approval of Resolution 2020-169 delegating signature authority to Kelvin Coachman, Director, Office of Housing and Human Services, for execution of the Local Housing Incentives Certification. There is no fiscal impact.

Request approval for Lake County to accept the second lien position with the Subrecipient Agreement for the use of Community Development Block Grant funds by Forward Paths to rehabilitate a dwelling for use as transitional housing for youth and young adults located at 101 E. Woodward Avenue, Eustis. There is no fiscal impact.

Request approval:

1. Of the Substantial Amendment to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 2019 Annual Action Plan for CDBG-Cares Act funds.

2. Of supporting Resolution 2020-170.

3. For the County Manager to execute any documents required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

There is no fiscal impact.

Public Works

Request approval of Resolution 2020-171 to increase the speed limit from 30 mph to 45 mph on Shirley Shores Road in the Tavares area. The fiscal impact is $200.00 (expenditure - sign materials). Commission District 3.

Request approval of Resolution 2020-172 to reduce the speed limit from 55 mph to 45 mph on a section of Bay Lake Road, from the existing 30 mph zone (approximately 210 feet south of Aquarius Way) to 500 feet south of Bonnet Slew Road, in the Mascotte area. The fiscal impact is $200.00 (expenditure - sign materials). Commission District 1.

Request approval:

1. Of Contracts 20-0440 for right of way tree trimming and related services with the following vendors: National Storm Recovery, LLC (Apopka, FL), Native Land and Tree (Howey-In-The-Hills, FL) and Tip Top Tree Experts, LLC (Weirsdale, FL).

2. For the Office of Procurement Services to execute all supporting documentation.

The fiscal impact is not to exceed $300,000.00 (expenditure).

Request approval to release a performance bond of $634,527.42 issued for the construction of turn lanes for Hills of Minneola Pod 1 on Hancock Road, Minneola. There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 2.

Request approval to accept a performance bond of $335,523.99 for the construction of a turn lane on Wilson Lake Parkway and the paving of West Libby Road for the Arborwood subdivision in Groveland. The fiscal impact is $900.00 (revenue – permit application fees). Commission District 1.

Request approval to:

1. Release a payment and performance bond of $2,061,628.51.

2. Accept a maintenance bond of $207,030.80.

3. Execute Resolution 2020-173 accepting Sawgrass Bay Boulevard "Part" (County Road No. 0360) into the County Road Maintenance System.

There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 1.

Request approval to:

1. Release a performance bond of $44,434.36 posted for completion of infrastructure improvements for the Palms at Serenoa Phase 2 final plat, located near Clermont.

2. Execute a Developer's Agreement for Construction of Sidewalk Improvements with Forestar (USA) Real Estate Group, Inc. (Orlando, FL).

3. Accept a performance bond of $149,576.86 for performance of sidewalk construction.

There is no fiscal impact. Commission District 1.

Request approval to accept a letter of credit of $47,813.92 for the partial reconstruction of Mills Street and the installation of a water main for the Gateway Commerce Center in Umatilla. The fiscal impact is $420.00 (revenue – permit application fees). Commission District 5.

Request approval of the Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Certified Budget for Arthropod Control for the Lake County Mosquito Management Program pursuant to Section 388.201, Florida Statutes, and Rule 5E-13.027, Florida Administrative Code. The fiscal impact is $32,467.65 (revenue/expenditure - 100 percent grant funded).

Transit Services

Request approval of Contract 20-0922 with Advanced Commercial Contractors, Inc. (Eustis, FL) for safety and security upgrades to the Office of Transit Services Building. The fiscal impact for Fiscal Year 2021 is $63,882.00 (expenditure - 100 percent CARES Act grant funded). Commission District 5.

Tab 4 supervisor of elections lease agreement

Commr. Sullivan remarked that this was the fourth time this lease agreement had been amended, and he expressed concerns about putting money into a leased facility when at the end of five or ten years, the County would not own it. He recalled that the County had a policy regarding leasing in prior years, noting that they were attempting to get out of the process of leasing. He relayed that he had spoken to the Lake County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) regarding this matter. He stated that based on the funding being spent on this lease, plus the estimated $420,000 to perform an add-on to the building, he thought it might be time to consider other options such as possibly building a County building for the SOE that the County would then own. He opined that putting money into a leased facility did not make sense for long-term; therefore, he believed it was a good time to consider other alternatives especially with interest rates being low. He asked for staff to provide different options.

Commr. Campione asked how far out this lease went, and when the new five year lease renewal option began.

Ms. Melanie Marsh, County Attorney, replied that this would take the County from July 1, 2028 through June 30, 2033 with the new five years, noting that the current lease went to 2028. She added that there were two five year renewals in the current lease without this amendment.

Commr. Campione suggested performing an analysis regarding the cost to build a building versus using a lease arrangement.

Commr. Parks supported the long-term approach that Commissioner Sullivan was suggesting as he thought it would be cheaper.

Commr. Campione opined that this discussion should take place with the SOE’s input. She believed that earlier, he was desiring to have a new building constructed once he realized the space in the County Administration Building was not adequate; furthermore, the SOE then used the lease opportunity as an alternative. She suggested setting up a time to workshop this with the SOE.

Commr. Breeden said she did not want to incur more debt at this time.

Commr. Campione agreed that could be a concern and wondered if it would make more sense to remain as is for now.

Commr. Parks opined the County may not have the ability to borrow; however, he thought it would be good to consider the numbers and compare options.

Commr. Sullivan said it was a good time to look at options. He indicated that he had a good working relationship with the SOE, who he thought had some ideas regarding this. He reiterated that when considering the money put into lease payments, that if the County was spending $1.2 million over the lease time, then maybe they could utilize that for something else. He opined that as the population grew and technology was used more, it was a good time to review, especially while negotiating a lease.

Mr. Cole relayed that staff attempted to create an option to purchase the building with a lease-purchase arrangement which they thought made sense for the County, the landlord, and the SOE; however, he said the property owner was not interested in that option. He wondered that if this Board was interested in another option and possibly relocating the SOE within a certain amount of time, then perhaps the landlord might be motivated to sell to the County, especially since that property had been empty for quite a while and possibly would again in the current economy. He indicated that if the Board was interested in that, then staff could re-approach the property owner regarding this.

Commr. Campione recommended setting up a workshop with the SOE to consider options and the cost benefits.

Commr. Breeden noted that the County was paying about $21,000 a month for leasing.

Ms. Marsh provided some background regarding the numbers, and indicated that if the County was to go all three five year terms and take the lease out to 2033, the County would have paid $3.6 million in lease payments, noting this would not include the $420,000 for the addition nor the original cost the County expended to make the building usable for the SOE’s purposes. She reported that the property market value was $2.7 million according to the Lake County Property Appraiser.

Commr. Parks suggested looking for any other County property that might be available, such as near the landfill area.

Ms. Marsh did not think there was any property in that area since the animal shelter and the fairgrounds were in that area.

Commr. Sullivan inquired if the SOE office had to be in the county seat.

Ms. Marsh thought that it did; however, she believed that could be waived, noting there was a process that the Board would have to go through.

Commr. Campione supported trying to relocate the SOE onto other County property.

Mr. Cole indicated that staff would attempt to schedule a workshop with the SOE at the September 29, 2020 BCC meeting.

recess and reassembly

The Chairman called a recess at 10:46 a.m. for fifteen minutes.

public hearing: ordinance 2020-48 land development regulations

Ms. Marsh placed the proposed ordinance on the floor for reading by title only as follows:

AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF LAKE COUNTY, FLORIDA; AMENDING LAKE COUNTY CODE, APPENDIX E, LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS, SECTION 4.03.03, ENTITLED GENERAL SITE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS, TO REMOVE THE PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT ACREAGE REQUIREMENT; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE CODE; PROVIDING FOR FILING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

The Chairman opened the public hearing.

There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding this matter, the Chairman closed the public hearing.

On a motion by Commr. Breeden, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved Ordinance 2020-48 amending Section 4.03.03, Land Development Regulations, to remove the minimum acreage requirement for a Planned Unit Development.

public hearing: resolution 2020-174 solid waste assessment

Ms. Jennifer Barker, Executive Director for Administrative Services, remarked that this was the public hearing for both the solid waste and fire assessments, noting that this would set the assessment rate and approve the tax roll. She commented that the solid waste assessment was used to fund the collection, management, and disposal of residential solid waste and recovered materials in unincorporated Lake County, and could not be used to fund countywide services such as landfill operations, convenience centers, or hazardous waste disposal; additionally, vacant lots were not assessed and rates were based on area and service level with the estimated revenue for fiscal year (FY) 2021 being $14,768,077. She then displayed a chart depicting the proposed FY 2021 solid waste assessment rates for each area, noting that they were status quo rates, that it was the third year at these rates, that the rates included the collection, disposal, and administrative costs, and that these were annual per household fees. She reported the annual fees as follows: North (Area 1) was $196 for once a week collection and $242 for the twice a week collection; Central (Area 2) was $188 for the once a week service and $227 for the twice a week service option; and South (Area 3) was $209 for the once a week service and $251 for the twice a week service option.

The Chairman opened the public hearing.

There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding this matter, the Chairman closed the public hearing.

On a motion by Commr. Blake, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the execution of Resolution 2020-174 for solid waste assessments for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2020, approved the rates of assessment, and approved the assessment roll.

public hearing: resolution 2020-175 fire assessments

Ms. Barker remarked that the fire assessment was used to fund fire protection services such as fire suppression, fire prevention, fire building inspections, and basic life support (BLS) services, noting that it could not fund advanced life support (ALS) services. She said that tax exempt institutional properties would receive a discount of 64 percent, and the total estimated revenue for FY 2021 was $23,302,221. She mentioned that Tindale Oliver provided a technical study on the fire assessment every year, and that they presented the fire assessment study results to the Board at their May 19, 2020 meeting, which included stable property units by land use, a slight change in the incident and resource distribution, and the calculated maximum rates for all land uses; furthermore, the assessment rates were based on the call data and distribution of incidents, the allocation of the resources in the current budget, and the proportionate share of each land use. She then displayed a chart of Tindale Oliver’s calculated fire assessment rates to fully fund the fire protection services, which she reported reflected a $7 increase for residential land uses and would increase the current rate from $206 to $213; furthermore, the Institutional Land Use category would receive a 64 percent discount.

The Chairman opened the public hearing.

There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding this matter, the Chairman closed the public hearing.

Commr. Blake mentioned that within the institutional category, he had received calls and emails from churches and similar organizations regarding the increase that was on their Truth in Millage Law (TRIM) notice. He opined this was a large increase, even with the discount, for places that may already be struggling.

Commr. Breeden said that churches were nonprofit organizations and could apply for the COVID-19 assistance which might offset the increase.

Commr. Campione mentioned that she had relayed to churches that they would qualify as a nonprofit organization and could apply for assistance. She referenced the assessment chart and pointed out that the change for the institutional category was from $5,472 to $6,440 on 15,000 square feet.

Ms. Barker indicated it was about a 17 percent increase for institutional.

Commr. Blake remarked that some churches were struggling economically, especially those with small congregations, noting that even if their building was large, their congregation might be smaller and this increase could be causing a hardship for them.

Commr. Campione inquired how the assessment would work for those with buildings less than 15,000 square feet.

Ms. Barker replied that it was a tiered schedule, and that she could provide the Board with that schedule showing all the square footage prices since there were several. She indicated that there were smaller categories than 15,000 square feet.

Commr. Campione mentioned that there was the possibility that the following year this category could decrease while another might increase since it was strictly based on the call volume for that year, and Ms. Barker confirmed that was correct.

Commr. Blake gave an example of a church in the City of Fruitland Park which had a very large building but a very small congregation, noting that this was the reason he would be voting against these assessment rates.

Commr. Breeden commented that for that category, the rate would be about $2,300 with the 64 percent discount, which was around a $350 to $400 increase.

Commr. Campione opined that was a good discount; furthermore, she understood the concerns but remarked that the fire rescue had to be available to respond to any meetings at those locations, noting that some of these organizations had daycares, nurseries, etc. She encouraged these organizations to apply for grant funding.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Sullivan and carried by a vote of 4-1, the Board approved the execution of Resolution 2020-175 for fire assessments for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2020, approved the rates of assessment, and approved the assessment roll.

Commr. Blake voted no.

public hearing: transportation construction program

Mr. Fred Schneider, Public Works Director, presented the FY 2021-2025 Transportation Construction Program which covered the areas of funding sources, major projects under construction, the details of the program, and a public hearing. He relayed that the funding sources included legislative appropriations and grants, road impact fees, funding partnerships, sales tax capital projects, and the County Transportation Trust, also known as the gas tax. He then displayed a bar graph depicting the amount of transportation revenue from each of these sources from FY 2014 through FY 2020 with the FY 2021 projection. He pointed out the following regarding these revenue sources: there was a slight reduction in gas tax funds in FY 2020 due to COVID-19 impacts as less drivers were on the road, noting that this difference was covered with reserves and making some cutbacks; the road impact fee revenue had been fairly steady; grants and aids came mainly from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT); and the resurfacing loan for FYs 2020 and 2021 was for $5 million each year. He then showed a map of the county regions and the road impact fee collections fund balance for each. He also reported on several major projects currently under construction, and displayed a map of the Citrus Grove Road project phases with phase one completed, phase two under a developer’s agreement for Founders Ridge to build, phase three currently under construction with completion soon, phase four was a developer’s agreement with the Hills of Minneola, and phase five was in design. He commented that for County Road (CR) 466A in the City of Fruitland Park area, phase one, phase two, and phase 3A were complete, noting that they were still in need of construction funding for phase 3B. He indicated that the CR 455 extension was a road which would run from State Road (SR) 50 south to Hartwood Marsh Road, noting that the first two lanes of phase one were complete, that phase two was under design, and that phase three was under a project, development, and environment (PD&E) study to hopefully come for public hearing in October 2020. He reported that for the infrastructure sales tax road resurfacing, the Board had borrowed $10 million in order to move forward with some resurfacing projects which included 63 miles of local roads and 28 miles of major roads. He indicated that 40 miles would be resurfaced for FY 2020, 35 miles in FY 2021, and 16 miles in FY 2022. He explained that the Board had $5 million for each year and that any dollars which were reallocated to resurfacing in the current and following years would roll over into the third year, which equated to approximately $2.9 million. He added that safety projects such as traffic signals, guardrails, sidewalks, and turn lanes were also built with sales tax revenue. He then presented the FY 2021-2025 Transportation Program project lists for the various funding categories, and briefly explained some of the projects. He relayed that the federal and state grants project list included the CR 42 and CR 452 safety projects.

Commr. Campione asked if the CR 452 project would make the shoulders along this road wider and address some of the curves in the road that have had multiple accidents.

Mr. Schneider responded that the focus of the safety study was where those accidents may have occurred, and was not for widening of the entire roadway. He added that they also had some design funds from FDOT for sidewalks in various areas of the county, noting that once it was designed, FDOT would provide future programming for right-of-way (ROW) and construction. He indicated that working with FDOT and the Lake-Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), staff would request for the next year’s funding for ROW, design and construction. He showed the project reconciliation for the various federal/state grants projects which indicated their current status such as under design, ROW funding, under construction, or completed. He then reported on some of the road impact fees proposed projects as follows: the south district included projects such as the CR 455 extension, CR 561, CR 561A, Citrus Grove Road Phase IV, Hancock Road, and Hooks Street; some of the central district projects were 466A and Rolling Acres Road; one of the focuses for the north central district included the Dead River Road intersection with SR 19; and the northeast Wekiva proposed project list included funding for Round Lake Road. He summarized that the project reconciliation from the 2020-2024 program for impact fees included the new projects of the Hancock Road study, Max Hooks Road, East Apshawa Road, Citrus Grove Road Phase II, and Sawgrass Bay Boulevard at Flemmings Road. He continued by reporting on infrastructure sales tax projects for roads and intersections such as the CR 455 intersection, Max Hooks Road, traffic signal and road safety improvements, and countywide road resurfacing and improvements; additionally, sales tax projects for sidewalk projects included ROW and construction for sidewalks, with most being near elementary schools throughout the county. He then displayed a project reconciliation for the 2020-2024 program for sales tax projects which included the status for each project such as moved to impact fee, design, under construction, completed, and removed from the list. He remarked that the County Transportation Trust Fund was primarily utilized for operations, maintenance and administration, and included special assessments for Challenger Drive and Lenze Drive as well as the Carlton Village project on Camphor and Juniper Roads. He then displayed a transportation construction expenditure summary for the five year work program for the areas of federal/state grants, road impact fees, infrastructure sales tax, county transportation trust, and the total program expenditures. He concluded with a summary that the presented program was funded through various stages of design and permitting, right-of-way acquisition, and construction of various projects such as sidewalks, traffic signals and intersection improvements, widening and resurfacing, adding new lanes, and building new road corridors. He relayed that the requested action was for approval of the FY 2021-2025 Transportation Construction Program, which included the funding of projects by utilizing road impact fees, federal/state grants, sales tax capital projects-public works/roads, and the County Transportation Trust Funds.

Commr. Sullivan recalled that FDOT did not pay for PD&E and feasibility studies, and asked if Mr. Schneider had funding within his budget to offset that.

Mr. Schneider responded that there were two types of projects that might have these studies. He stated one was road projects which would typically be funded as an impact fee program; furthermore, as they went through the five year road program, they knew short-term and long-term needs and would program specific funding for PD&E studies, noting that at the same time, they attempted to get FDOT to assist with it. He said that the other funding source used was sales tax which was dispersed through different allocations so there was not much leeway to find a reserve. He indicated that for FDOT, they could possibly get funding for some of the projects since they had been on the County’s priority request list for quite a long time before the rules were changed. He added that what he was referring to in sales tax was trails, PD&E studies and such. He said he was not aware of a reserve or way to set aside funding.

Commr. Sullivan recalled that at one time, the Board had discussed adding staff to Mr. Schneider’s team; however, he wondered if it was better to outsource.

Mr. Schneider relayed that he would be presenting to the Board at their October 13, 2020 meeting which would address this as well as ideas for the next few years with what the Board had already allocated for the Wekiva Trail Segment 5. He added that should the Board allocate the other funding discussed through another PD&E study the coming year, then the Public Works Department and the Office of Parks and Trails would be working on this.

Commr. Parks inquired if the cost for materials and labor would continue to increase for the next few years. He wondered if it was higher than the previous year.

Mr. Schneider confirmed that it would as much as it typically did within the general economy. He remarked that in regards to the gas tax, he had previously discussed how the gas tax fund stayed relatively flat due to vehicle efficiency, which caused the pennies per mile to stay the same even though the population and number of cars on the road was increasing. He added that at the same time, costs for repair, maintenance and asphalt go up annually. He relayed that within the resurfacing program, they had a continuing contract and the first phase was finished. He stated that when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in January and February 2020, they were about to start the second phase in that contract; however, since it had an index requirement, they were hoping the indexes would fall in order to find some savings and that was the reason they delayed in getting phase two completed, noting that it was currently under construction and may carry over into October 2020.

The Chairman opened the public hearing.

There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding this matter, the Chairman closed the public hearing.

On a motion by Commr. Breeden, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved the FY 2021-2025 Transportation Construction Program, which included the funding of projects by utilizing road impact fees, federal/state grants, sales tax capital projects-public works/roads, and the County Transportation Trust Funds..

regular agenda

civil rights display

Mr. George Taylor, Director for the Office of Library Services, commented that the purpose of the presentation was to explore ideas for a permanent display celebrating and preserving African American heritage in Lake County, noting that the display would be a fixture in the County Administration Building and that a traveling version would be featured in the Lake County Libraries. He then displayed several graphics of what the displays could possibly look like and noted the following: the permanent display case would feature 10 to 15 individuals, along with a photo and brief biography; and for the traveling display, they would rotate between libraries and feature four to five individuals pertaining to that library’s city per display. He then showed a list of potential individuals along with brief biographies of each, noting that they were from different locations across the county. He suggested that for additional candidates, staff could create a page on the County or library website to recommend the candidates, an ad hoc committee could be created to review the applications, and potential candidates would be presented to the BCC for approval.

Commr. Campione thanked Mr. Taylor for the presentation. She recalled that the initial purpose for this item was to celebrate and preserve African American heritage in Lake County; however, she said this was presented as a civil rights leaders exhibit. She recommended sticking to the purpose of celebrating the history without necessarily being tied to civil rights. She gave an example of Mr. Thomas McClary, who was a City of Eustis graduate, one of the founding members of The Commodores, and one of the first students at Eustis High School to integrate. She opined his story was a great story that could possibly be considered. She recommended that this display have a variety of individuals, such as Mr. Dennis Mike who was on the suggested list, as well as individuals who might be recognized for their achievements. She thought this was a good starting point, encouraged being flexible as recommendations were made, and believed it would be a great learning tool regarding the African American community in Lake County.

Commr. Parks inquired what the vision was for the ad hoc committee.

Mr. Taylor responded that this was based on the Board’s direction to get people in the community to gather and nominate individuals for the displays as well as review recommendations that would be presented to the BCC for final approval.

Commr. Campione remarked that the recommendations for what the display might look like would come from staff to the BCC for approval. She mentioned that the display could also be used during different festivals such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in January. She suggested that staff reach out to each of the historical societies in Lake County for their recommendations for individuals; additionally, she felt that including timelines and photographs would be nice.

Commr. Sullivan said that staff was on the right track with possibly a few changes, such as preserving the African American heritage rather than a civil rights display.

Commr. Breeden suggested the website could be more in depth than the exhibit.

Commr. Campione desired for the display to have variety and thought it could be leadership in business, achievement in sports, music or education, and etc.

Commr. Parks suggested titling it “honoring historic African American leaders of Lake County.”

Commr. Breeden opined there were all types of leaders, even in music.

Mr. Cole summarized that staff would return to the Board with recommendations on the naming of the display, and other items.

Commr. Sullivan agreed with including leaders in the community who had impacts on peoples’ lives and gave the example of Leesburg High School’s football field being named after Coach Hubert O. Dabney because of his heritage and impact on the community.

other business

elder affairs coordinating council

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Breeden and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved to appoint Ms. Cindy Terry, as the District 2 member, to serve on the Elder Affairs Coordinating Council.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Breeden and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved to appoint Ms. Carla Osgood, as the District 4 member, to serve on the Elder Affairs Coordinating Council.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Breeden and carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0, the Board approved to appoint Ms. Theresa Elliot, as the At-Large member, to serve on the Elder Affairs Coordinating Council, along with approval of an ethical conflict waiver for Ms. Elliott.

commissioners reports

commissioner sullivan – district 1

trail projects with fdot

Commr. Sullivan reiterated the need to determine funding for trails, and mentioned some trail projects that FDOT was working on in the City of Umatilla area. He indicated that this did not fit into the County’s trail program; therefore, he thought the Board should discuss with FDOT.

Mr. Cole commented that he had several conversations with the Umatilla City Manager, who relayed that the City was in control of what they were attempting to accomplish and had concerns regarding the impact that going a different direction might have to the repaving of the road.

Commr. Campione opined it was mainly focused on resurfacing and safety issues, and that the City was concerned that if someone tried to take FDOT in a different direction, then they may lose the ability to accomplish what needed to be done under this particular project. She said there might be some confusion of what could be done with the program without jeopardizing it.

Commr. Parks said that was a valid concern, and recalled the six lane project on U.S. 27 in South Lake in which there was a last minute desire for a tunnel underneath it for the trail connection, and staff was advised not to change the plans as it could risk the funding for the project.

Commr. Campione suggested getting more details on the matter, and supported making sure the City of Umatilla was able to get the project done for safety reasons. She thought the trail aspect would be addressed separately. She opined that the County was in a holding pattern while they waited to hear about the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant, or Bridge grant as it was currently called.

Commr. Sullivan said that the timing of this was important.

commissioner parks – district 2

recognition of staff

Commr. Parks thanked Mr. Schneider and his team for their responsiveness in addressing some road safety issues within his district.

commissioner blake – district 5

recognition of astor

Commr. Blake shared that the mayor from Waldorf, Germany had presented a beer stein to Astor in honor of Mr. John Jacob Astor, a German-American businessman from Waldorf, who came to the United States and whose descendant made the initial 12,000 acre land purchase of the Astor area. He explained that the beer stein had a painting of the ancestral home of the Astor family, and that the Astor Chamber of Commerce planned to put it on display. He relayed that Astor planned to send something special back to the mayor of Waldorf, Germany along with a thank you note.

recognition of staff

Commr. Blake expressed appreciation to Mr. Schneider for his responsiveness to citizens’ concerns, and to Mr. Matulka for his efforts in assisting individuals with the grant application process.

commissioner CAMPIONE – district 4

public works projects

Commr. Campione thanked the Public Works Department for assisting residents, and remarked that a traffic light was currently in the process of being installed at the corner of Britt Road and Wolf Branch Road. She explained that there had been delays for various reasons with SECO and a particular land owner; however, she thought the installation might happen in October 2020.

Mr. Schneider commented that there had been some difficulties, and that the County had three corners they were able to work with in this particular location. He relayed that the poles should be starting to be installed in early October 2020 with the plan to have everything running by the end of December 2020.

Commr. Campione inquired about the traffic light which FDOT had planned for the corner of Britt Road and SR 44. She thought it was programmed but not funded; however, it had been currently funded and would begin to be installed in the fall with completion by next year.

Mr. Schneider confirmed that was correct, and that FDOT was constructing that traffic signal at the north end of Britt Road and SR 44.

Commr. Campione explained the difficulties of trying to make a left hand turn from Britt Road onto SR 44. She wondered if it was possible to prevent a left hand turn, even if just at certain times during the day, at least until the signal was installed.

Mr. Schneider stated staff would look into what could be done at that location.

recess and reassembly

The Chairman called a recess at 12:06 p.m. until the 5:05 p.m. Budget Public Hearing.

5:05 p.m. budget public hearing

lake county sheriff presentation

Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell thanked the BCC for the opportunity to discuss his budget request, noting that he had narrowed the presentation to their three top items. He mentioned an incident from the previous year in which an officer was shot which then ensued a search for the perpetrator. He opined that if the Marion County helicopter had not been available to assist in this search, then they may not have been able to catch the person responsible for the shooting with all officers returning home safely. He clarified that he was not requesting a helicopter, but rather to upgrade his technology to what Marion County had allowed them to utilize that evening; furthermore, before he discussed the Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) System, he showed a video of the pursuit of this suspect using this system and commented on the success of the search because of this. He added that this was in an area with heavy woods and no moon or lighting. He then discussed the Forward Looking Infrared System with a video downlink. He relayed that this system was state of the art and said it would benefit other County emergency departments who could also utilize it. He opined that it would help save lives. He then displayed a listing of the applications and functions of the thermal imaging camera which he hoped could be placed on their aircraft. He thanked the BCC for working with his office over the last few years, and mentioned that one of his goals was to have body cameras for his deputies. He indicated that they did not currently have them due to the need to prioritize the previous years and to focus on getting staffing levels to where they needed to be in order to address the growth and population within the county. He expressed appreciation to the Board for working with him to increase his staffing levels. He opined that it was now time to equip his deputies with body cameras. He reported that his staff had researched and recommended the AXON Enterprise Program, noting that everything was integrated with this program including the body cameras, car cameras, Tasers, and digital evidence based in the cloud. He indicated that this system was a five year contractual cost at approximately $1 million a year. He then recalled that his office had hired an independent firm to conduct a salary survey which was presented to the BCC; furthermore, the BCC worked with the Sheriff’s Office to align sheriff salaries with similar sized agencies; however, he felt that this needed to be addressed and adjusted each year. He relayed that in order to give his employees raises, it would cost about $1 million for next year. He then displayed a pie chart depicting the Lake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) salaries and benefits as well as a bar graph comparing Lake and Marion Counties in terms of population and approved budgets for the Sheriff’s Offices for each. He noted that Lake County had passed Marion County in terms of population for the current year. He opined that the LCSO was conservative as was the Lake County Board of County Commissioners. He indicated that while the Marion County Sheriff’s Office was similar in size to the LCSO, Marion County’s 2018-2019 budget was approximately $18 million more and their 2019-2020 budget was about $21 million higher, which he opined was a large gap between the two. He indicated that Marion County encompassed the Ocala Police Department, the Belleview Police Department and the City of Dunnellon. He said that the LCSO was conservative with how they staffed management levels with a focus on having deputies, noting that was the reasoning for having a third shift added the previous year. He then displayed a graph depicting the Florida Retirement System (FRS) rates with regular class and special risk categories. He pointed out that there was an approximate $4.5 million increase in FRS employer contributions since 2012 which the Board had provided directly to FRS for the LCSO. He explained that he included this in his presentation so that business leaders could understand that there were some fixed costs that the Sheriff did not have control over; furthermore, he opined this was a large amount of money that never came directly to him to utilize for hiring, pay raises, etc. He concluded by thanking the Board for their support.

Commr. Breeden inquired if these requests were for additional funding to the Sheriff’s $2.7 million request, or was this merely information regarding what the $2.7 million request would be spent on.

Sheriff Grinnell replied that the budget letter he submitted in June 2020 covered these requests.

Commr. Sullivan asked if the Sheriff’s 1972 airframe would hold this type of technology.

Sheriff Grinnell responded that it would mount to the airframe. He commented that they had an FLIR system; however, the current system did not have any interoperability with it and it did not have the downlink capability.

Commr. Campione asked if the deputies in the search he showed had night vision capabilities.

Sheriff Grinnell replied that they did; however, the concern was that there was no ambient light and they were in heavily dense foliage so it was very difficult to see even with night vision.

Commr. Campione asked for the Sheriff to provide information on the body cameras.

Sheriff Grinnell responded that one aspect they considered was the durability of the unit and how it was designed with military grade specifications, a high definition lens, interoperability, and connectivity with the dash camera and Taser. He added that there was also a mechanism so that when a deputy removes his firearm from the holster, the body camera automatically goes on.

Commr. Parks asked when those would be coming online.

Sheriff Grinnell replied as soon as the Board approved the budget.

Commr. Campione inquired if the LCSO would immediately receive all the units and then they would be paid for over five years, or would they add units over the five year timeframe.

Sheriff Grinnell responded they would receive the initial rollout of all of the units, and the company would install them on the vehicles while the body cameras were being placed into use with the deputies. He added that they would be paid for over the five years.

Commr. Blake asked if any surrounding agencies were utilizing this body camera system. He also wondered if any agencies, besides Marion County, were using the infrared system.

Sheriff Grinnell replied that Orange County had the body camera system and that the Mount Dora Police Department might be using them as well. He remarked that he thought other agencies were also using the infrared system, although he was not certain if it was the newest technology since technology was constantly changing. He assumed that Orange County would probably have a similar system.

Commr. Blake inquired if Marion County assisted other counties with the use of their technology.

Sheriff Grinnell responded that Marion County did assist others, noting that surrounding agencies provide mutual assistance. He relayed that often the LCSO is unable to get their helicopter launched at the City of Leesburg airport due to weather issues; therefore, they have to call Orange County to assist with something that might be happening in the Sorrento area, noting that Orange County is willing to assist and Lake County has also assisted Orange County. He said that he preferred not to be dependent on other counties.

Commr. Campione asked for the Sheriff to report on staffing and his third shift coverage as she noted constituents often inquire about sheriff availability.

Sheriff Grinnell responded that they had gained a lot of ground over the previous years because of the Board’s support, but he reiterated the need to keep up with the growth in the county. He opined that even when the economy slows down, the LCSO stays busy. He relayed that his staffing levels were better; however, he did not want to get behind as it would be difficult to catch up. He said that he was not ready to roll out the third shift in its entirety as he believed the four shifts he currently had were at a manageable and effective level. He expressed his desire to keep the community safe. He shared that recent protests required additional staffing that had not been budgeted, noting that it cost his office over $150,000 in overtime pay.

Commr. Parks inquired about traffic and the increases in accidents and incidents. He asked if the LCSO would be able to keep up staffing for traffic enforcement.

Sheriff Grinnell replied that if they continued their forward motion, he thought they would be able to over the next couple of years. He indicated that traffic was the number one complaint in the county. He reported that he had four motorcycle units designated for traffic, noting that he could use more but needed to prioritize the needs.

Commr. Breeden thanked the Sheriff for his presentation and additional information. She thought the infrared and other equipment was needed.

Commr. Parks thanked the LCSO for all they do for the county, and expressed appreciation and support for Sheriff Grinnell’s plan.

Commr. Breeden requested for the BCC to discuss CARES Act funding after the budget portion of the meeting.

Ms. Marsh indicated that it could be discussed since the meeting was only recessed from the morning session.

presentation of tentative millage rates and tentative budget

Ms. Barker announced that this was the first of two public hearings on the FY 2021 budget which was required by the Florida Statutes, noting that this was for the millages and budget overseen by the Lake County Board of County Commissioners. She remarked that the purpose of this meeting was to present the proposed millage rates and their change from the rollback rate as well as the tentative budget for FY 2021. She explained that by the State’s definition, the rollback millage rate is a rate that when applied to the next year’s tax base, excluding new construction, would generate the same revenue as was raised in the previous year. She explained that the four Board actions for this meeting would include approval of the FY 2021 tentative millage rates, approval of changes to the recommended budget, approval of the FY 2021 tentative budget, and approval of the public hearing date for final adoption. She then displayed a chart of the certified property values and stated that the final values for FY 2020 were certified on October 1, 2019 and that the FY 2021 certified values were certified on July 1, 2020. She explained that the countywide millages, including the General Fund, the Ambulance Municipal Service Taxing Unit (MSTU), and the Public Lands-Voted Debt, had an increase of 9.69 percent, that the Stormwater, Roads, and Parks MSTU had an increase of 8.95 percent, and that the Fire Rescue MSTU had an increase of 9.11 percent. She announced that the final property values for FY 2021 would be available on October 1, 2020. She explained that Chapters 129 and 200 of the Florida Statutes, which outline the procedures for the annual adoption of tax rates and budgets, required that the proposed millage rates be identified for FY 2021 as well as any adjustments that the Board might consider. She then displayed a chart with the proposed FY 2021 millage rates and reported the following: the Lake County General Fund proposed FY 2021 millage was 5.0327 mills which was a decrease of 0.0407 mills from the FY 2020 rate and a 4.84 percent increase over the rollback tax rate of 4.8002 mills; the Ambulance MSTU proposed FY 2021 millage rate was 0.4629 mills which was equal to the FY 2020 rate and a 5.68 percent increase over the rollback tax rate of 0.4380 mills; the Stormwater, Parks, and Roads MSTU proposed FY 2021 millage rate was 0.4957 mills which was equal to the FY 2020 rate and a 5.99 percent increase over the rollback tax rate of 0.4677 mills; the Fire Rescue MSTU proposed FY 2021 millage rate was 0.4704 mills which was equal to the FY 2020 rate and a 6.09 percent increase over the rollback tax rate of 0.4434 mills; and the public lands-voted debt proposed FY 2021 millage, which did not figure into the rollback calculations since it was approved by a referendum, was 0.1100 mills which was equal to the FY 2020 rate. She mentioned that based on the calculation by the Department of Revenue (DOR) on the DR-420 Certification of Taxable Value form, the current year proposed aggregate rate was 4.64 percent over the aggregate rollback tax rate. She commented that the proposed tentative FY 2021 budget as presented did reflect a reduction in the sales tax revenue in the General Fund. She explained that due to COVID-19, the County had seen a reduction in revenue from their sales tax that goes into the General Fund; therefore, staff recognized the reduction in their projections for the current fiscal year which then reduced the beginning fund balance that fiscal year 2021 started with. She then reported the following regarding the FY 2021 tentative budget: it reflected a reduction in the General Fund millage rate to 5.0327 mills; the approved project list for the Infrastructure Sales Tax which the Board approved on August 25, 2020 had been incorporated into the tentative budget; this budget fully funded the Judicial Support, Constitutional Offices and all County departments; and the General Fund reserves totaled $15,647,642, which was about 10.48 percent of the operating budget, noting that the goal was to have seven to twelve percent which was the Board’s policy. She indicated that the proposed staffing changes for the FY 2021 budget included the addition of a program associate for Judicial Support, two positions for the Office of Building Services which were a chief licensing investigator and an office associate IV, three new animal care technicians for the Office of Animal Services, an associate planner for the Office of Planning and Zoning, three firefighters and three lieutenants for the Office of Fire Rescue who were coming from the City of Mascotte due to the County assuming the Mascotte Fire Service, and a deletion of four positions related to the Mobile Irrigation Lab (MIL) since the Soil and Water Conservation District opted to terminate the agreement with the County to provide administrative oversight of the MIL, noting that these four positions would be transferred over to the Soil and Water Conservation District and removed from the County’s totals. She reported that the total net changes in positions was an increase of nine positions for FY 2021.

The Chairman opened the public hearing.

There being no one who wished to address the Board regarding this matter, the Chairman closed the public hearing.

Ms. Barker relayed that the requested action was for approval of the tentative millage rates for FY 2021 as follows: Lake County General Fund Countywide millage of 5.0327 mills; Lake County Ambulance MSTU at 0.4629 mills; Lake County Stormwater, Roads, and Parks MSTU at 0.4957 mills; Lake County Fire Rescue MSTU at 0.4704 mills; total millage of 6.4617 mills; and Lake County Public Lands-Voted Debt of 0.1100 mills.

Commr. Blake opined that the question the Board should ask was that as much as they would like to have everything on the wish list for the County, is that in September 2020 after the year that everyone had been through, should the families in Lake County pay more or less in taxes after what they had experienced over the last six months. He said that they should not pay more in taxes under any circumstances, which he opined would be an insult to the people who trusted the Board to look out for them. He thought that out of a sense of solidarity, the Board owed it to the constituents who voted them into office to take care of them during a very difficult year. He recalled that he supported the rollback rate each year; however, his suggestion at this time was to go below the rollback rate. He indicated that with the rollback rate there was approximately $4.1 million in additional revenue over the previous year; therefore, he suggested that the Board make a reduction, even if merely a half a million dollars below the rollback rate, which would still leave about $3.6 million and enough money to fund much of what the Sheriff discussed at this meeting as well as most of the mandates and necessary items. He thought this would send a signal to the residents of Lake County that the government would share in the economic impacts. He stated that in terms of the Sheriff’s budget, he wondered if part of the approximate $1.5 million in infrastructure sales tax for vehicles could possibly be used to supplement some of his needs. He reminded the Board that every year he had discussed the budget, he had included previous increases which he opined the rollback rate was, noting that it included around $10 million in increases of this Board which the Sheriff had received since he had been on the Board. He mentioned this was for discussion, although he did not have anything specific in writing; furthermore, he reiterated his belief that this would be a positive message to the citizens that the BCC was trying to do their best to make sure the residents did not see a tax increase in a difficult year. He relayed that he had been in discussions with Mr. Matulka regarding the number of businesses, including people he knew, that had gone out of business. He opined that government needed to share in the loss.

Commr. Campione expressed her appreciation for the symbolic gesture of Commissioner Blake; however, she said that if that type of proposal was going to be made, then specifics on where the Board would need to cut in order to be able to do something like that should be presented. She relayed that her concern was that even though it had been difficult, the one thing that they had been able to do as a County was to continue services that people needed, to step up and deal with the COVID-19 situation as it was impacting Lake County, and they knew that if there was a hurricane during all this then they would be able to manage without having to borrow money since they had funding in reserves. She indicated that when hearing this kind of proposal, what she gets concerned about is that as chaotic as it had been, it could have been far worse if local government and County government had not been able to step up and take care of what they needed to. She said she liked the symbolism of it; however, when considering the CARES Act and the work put into the distribution of those funds, she saw an opportunity within that for people who had been financially impacted to submit for funding to help with their housing needs as well as the business assistance available. She opined that this funding could assist with impacts from COVID-19; furthermore, she feared that if the Board took funding from reserves, then the County would not be able to address emergencies. She added that reducing any funding for the Constitutional Officers would require their input regarding their budgets.

Commr. Blake pointed out that he did not mention any reductions; rather, he said to adjust the reduction to below rollback to whatever it needed to be. He said that this still included not only the approximate $12 million in increases since 2016 for the Sheriff, but also would give the Sheriff between about $1 to $1.5 million in additional funding in 2020. He opined that it was remarkable to have the approximate $4.1 million in additional revenue, noting that he agreed that having 16 percent in reserves would be fantastic. He reiterated his initial question as to whether people who had lived through this difficult time in Lake County should have to pay more or less this year, which he said should be less. He remarked that he would compromise and support the rollback rate, but wanted this to be considered for discussion. He opined this was the most responsible thing to do in terms of the impact to the local citizens. He agreed that the CARES Act was a great source of funding that people could apply for; however, he thought it was not enough funding for business owners in regards to what they had experienced.

Commr. Campione opined that self-destructing local government would not help the situation. She asked for a proposal to show how the Constitutional Officers could be funded and still have enough funding in reserves to deal with any potential hurricanes.

Commr. Breeden relayed that was her biggest concern, although she appreciated the thought process, sentiment, and intent behind Commissioner Blake’s recommendations. She stated that she did not want to put the County in a situation where they might not be able to respond as needed to the public in case of emergencies. She said next year’s budget might require some tightening.

Commr. Blake reiterated that he did not mention any reductions; rather, that he was working within the $4.1 million increase. He opined there was a difference between not completely funding a requested increase and making a reduction.

Commr. Campione asked for clarification as it seemed like Commissioner Blake’s recommendation would not fund the requested budgets of the Constitutional Officers and the County Commission, noting that she thought he was saying it was not a reduction to the prior budget but was a reduction to the requested budget amount.

Commr. Blake opined that only the government could view someone not fully funding a requested increase as a reduction, as he felt that was not how the real world viewed it.

Commr. Campione reiterated her opinion that this would require a significant change to the proposed budgets.

Commr. Blake said that the BCC’s job was not to micromanage the Constitutional Officers’ budgets; rather, the BCC allocates funding similar to how they tell the County Manager what funding is available for a given year, and the County Manager then tells his department heads the amount of funding they have to work with for the year. He recalled that he had expressed prior that it was not appropriate for the County employees that the BCC had purview over to have an increase, noting that this was not because he did not think County employees did a good job but only because it was not sensitive to others who had lost their jobs and livelihood.

Commr. Campione clarified that they were not giving salary increases. She relayed that what they were attempting to do was to fund specific items in the budget; furthermore, she was not suggesting the BCC micromanage the Constitutional Officers’ request, noting that they were autonomous officers who were elected to run their agencies. She thought that the Constitutional Officers did not place items on their budget unless they believed it was something directly related to their ability to get their job done. She said the Constitutional Officers had been conservative but there were times when they had additional needs.

Commr. Blake remarked that his desire was merely to present this for discussion, and that he did not believe it was a radical proposal, especially since there were large businesses within Lake County who had laid off more than 40 percent of their staff. He reiterated that he would be fine with supporting the rollback rate.

Commr. Parks said that this was about context and value as well, and that the Board had done a great job of providing value to a population that was growing dramatically. He recalled that Mr. Cole had found $3.5 million worth of efficiencies over the last several years within County departments even with the population continuing to grow. He opined that in the discussion of taxes and government, government often gets tagged with negative connotations; however, he believed that there was also value that had been provided. He thought that Lake County was not an expansive government as other counties might be. He understood that some individuals wanted the lowest millage rate possible; however, he said that property taxes were only part of the formula, and he wished the Board had more control over sales tax. He expressed concerns with whether the millage rate was enough to provide the increasing services which would be needed and to build up the reserves. He said he was struggling at this meeting whether to oppose the millage rate or the budget since he felt that one of them needed to reflect building the reserves. He remarked that in reviewing the spreadsheets on the budget, he was unsure where the needed funding could come from, whether from the Constitutional Officers or the reserves. He indicated that costs continued to increase even with the efficiencies that had been incorporated. He relayed that he was unsure how they could accomplish this with what Commissioner Blake was proposing.

Commr. Blake said he understood, and reiterated his compromised position for the rollback rate. He indicated that he was attempting to be sensitive to the situation with public safety, and that was the reason he suggested breaking it down to how the average property tax dollar was spent. He said he anticipated the responses from the other Commissioners regarding his proposal.

Commr. Sullivan said that they did reduce the countywide millage rate during the budgetary process in order to find efficiencies and to ensure they were cognizant of what they needed to do versus what they wanted to do. He opined they had made the appropriate reductions, and relayed respect for Commissioner Blake’s opinion. He then made a motion to approve the tentative millage rates for FY 2021 as presented.

Commr. Breeden seconded Commissioner Sullivan’s motion.

Commr. Sullivan recalled a time when the reserves were spent during a hurricane and how it affected the bond ratings. He indicated that they recovered quickly, noting that the bond experts said that by the County having a lower millage rate, the County had the ability to react if needed to in order to get those bond rates better by raising the millage rate; however, the Board respectively declined that option and kept the millage rate going down. He opined that the Board was funding needs and not wants, but if there was something in the budget that should not be funded, then that would be a different situation. He added that they had been attempting to get the Sheriff caught up for the almost eight years he had been on the Board, noting that they were losing deputies to surrounding counties which had higher salaries. He thought having reserves would help in the future, and that there would be impacts with the state sales tax in the next years.

Commr. Campione suggested considering the bigger picture of what could happen to the economy and property values in the future. She opined that residential real estate was moving but commercial real estate was in limbo; however, she believed that if the millage was reduced too much, and property values decreased as well, then the County could be placed in a situation where they could not pay for the deputies. She did not believe they should put the county residents in a situation where government could not fund law enforcement. She thought the proposal sounded good; however, she stated that she since was a realist and a pragmatist, she could not lower the millage rate in good conscience. She opined the responsible action was to make sure the County could provide the basic needs and services, and to have reserves in order to be able to pay for any needs due to a storm. She said she did not see how Commissioner Blake’s proposal could be accomplished unless reserves were brought down or Constitutional Officers’ budgets were cut, although she indicated she would explore this recommendation further.

Commr. Blake appreciated that, and stated he would develop specifics regarding his proposal if the Board was interested.

Commr. Parks indicated that he supported most of what Commissioner Blake was recommending; however, he expressed concerns with what could potentially happen the following year if they did not have enough funding in reserves. He supported keeping the millage rate the same.

Commr. Breeden opined that Commissioner Parks was not doing the right thing by not voting for what they had, although she realized it was his choice. She relayed her understanding that Commissioner Parks had made indications that he knew the decisions that the other Commissioners would make, which she believed was inaccurate since Sunshine Laws did not allow the Commissioners to talk to each other.

Commr. Parks said he had only expressed concerns for lowering the millage rate and how it would affect the reserves and the County being able to fund items such as trails.

Commr. Campione asked for confirmation that Commissioner Parks would only vote in favor of the countywide millage if it was the higher amount and if they had not reduced it on the TRIM notices.

Commr. Parks said that was his concern at the moment because of the reserves.

Commr. Breeden stated that the reserves were currently near $15 million, which was ten percent.

Commr. Parks commented that if the General Fund millage was kept at 5.0327 mills, then they would be at ten percent.

Commr. Campione reiterated that Board policy was between seven to twelve percent; therefore, ten percent was within target. She opined that Commissioner Parks’ vote would be a protest vote stating that they needed to raise the millage higher then what was presented at this meeting.

Commr. Parks indicated that he was attempting to have discussion on either the millage or the budget since he felt they needed to get the reserves increased.

Commr. Breeden asked where he wanted the additional funding for reserves to come from and what he would cut.

Commr. Parks replied that he was not proposing to cut anything to go into reserves; rather, that he would have kept it the same millage rate especially not knowing the next year what might happen and whether reserves would be needed to keep the budget balanced. He opined that was an equal perspective and could potentially happen.

Commr. Campione recapped that one Commissioner did not want to vote in favor of the General Fund millage because it was too high, and one who would not vote in favor because they thought it needed to be higher.

Commr. Parks said he thought it should be the same as what it was.

Commr. Campione stated that was higher than what they were voting on at this meeting.

Commr. Parks agreed it was higher than what the Board voted on in July 2020.

Commr. Sullivan reminded the Chairman that there was a motion on the floor.

Commr. Breeden added there was also a second to that motion.

On a motion by Commr. Sullivan, seconded by Commr. Breeden, which failed by a 2-3 vote, the Board did not approve the tentative millage rates for FY 2021 as presented.

Commr. Campione, Commr. Parks, and Commr. Blake voted no.

Commr. Campione stated the Board needed another motion.

Ms. Marsh stated that the Board could vote on the millages separately, noting that if there was one millage that seemed to have concerns, then they could vote on the others and then limit discussions to that one.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Sullivan, and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved a tentative Lake County Public Lands-Voted Debt millage rate for FY 2021 of 0.1100 mills.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Breeden, and carried by a 4-1 vote, the Board approved a tentative Lake County Fire Rescue MSTU for FY 2021 of 0.4704 mills.

Commr. Blake voted no.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Breeden, and carried by a 4-1 vote, the Board approved a tentative Lake County Stormwater, Roads and Parks MSTU for FY 2021 of 0.4957 mills.

Commr. Blake voted no.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Sullivan, and carried by a 4-1 vote, the Board approved a tentative Lake County Ambulance MSTU for FY 2021 of 0.4629 mills.

Commr. Blake voted no.

Commr. Parks commented that what he had mentioned before was merely for discussion. He expressed a frustration that there were still needs in the County such as trails, the animal shelter, etc., which he opined would add value, make the county great, and were items the Commissioners supported. He relayed a desire to make sure they had these needs in the future, and that they were able to have a reserve account which would not make the County dependent on the Federal Government or become an issue if there was a hurricane. He said that if they needed to get this passed for the meeting, then he had made his point and he would motion to keep the General Fund millage at 5.0327 mills.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Breeden, and carried by a 4-1 vote, the Board approved a tentative Lake County General Fund Countywide Millage for FY 2021 of 5.0327 mills.

Commr. Blake voted no.

summary of changes to the FY 2021 recommended budget

Ms. Barker remarked that since the approval of the recommended budget in July 2020, there had been the following changes for the County Departments and Offices: the fund balance and revenue projections which included the reduction of the sales tax revenue projected for the current year had been updated; additional funding was added for the mandated Department of Juvenile Justice expenses which was about $140,000 more; the Infrastructure Sales Tax approved project costs had been incorporated; various capital projects had been re-budgeted such as the animal shelter construction, and road resurfacing projects that were ongoing over multiple years; purchase order (PO) carryforward estimates had been incorporated; and other miscellaneous changes and adjustments. She relayed that the Lake County Tax Collector’s budget was received on July 22, 2020, which had an increase of approximately $550,000 primarily due to COVID-19 related operational changes that were needed. She indicated that the Tax Collector was requesting six new full-time positions which included an environmental services lead for enhanced janitorial services, an IT specialist to assist with software enhancements to increase online services, and four customer services representatives to fill gaps in frontline staffing due to those being affected by COVID-19; additionally, he was increasing operational expenses to expand appointment-only initiatives in the service centers, and enhancing telecommunications and IT infrastructure to support the social distancing guidelines. She concluded with the requested action for approval to adopt the changes to the FY 2021 recommended budget totaling $32,504,699, noting that $26.1 million of that total was related to current POs that the County had already encumbered the funds that needed to be carryforward.

Commr. Breeden inquired if this would be the time to discuss trails and if there was a way to incorporate funding for them in the budget.

Ms. Barker asked if she meant within the Infrastructure Sales Tax budget or the General Fund or other area. She said that they could be discussed whenever the Board desired.

Commr. Breeden thought the total budget would probably not be changed.

Commr. Campione said that something would need to be shifted or reprioritized.

Ms. Barker responded that if current expenses were going to be reprioritized, then the bottom line would not change.

Mr. Cole explained that the item before the Board was relating to changes to the budget, noting that Commissioner Breeden’s comment was not asking to increase revenue into the budget.

Commr. Breeden confirmed that was correct, and wondered if any of the Commissioners were interested in discussing trails.

Commr. Parks remarked that this related to reprioritization and things being moved around; furthermore, he believed that staff had been tight with their budget. He restated his desire to have more in reserves.

Commr. Breeden said there might be an alternative from utilizing reserves, such as reprioritizing some of the Infrastructure Sales Tax projects. She thought they had an approximate $450,000 available, but that their top priority project was $1.2 million; therefore, she questioned where the additional $750,000 would come from unless they wanted to fund it over the next two years.

Commr. Campione wondered if she had reviewed the list and come up with any suggested adjustments.

Mr. Cole relayed that Commissioner Breeden had mentioned her desire to discuss this; therefore, he had staff display the FY 2021 proposed Infrastructure Sales Tax project list, noting that this was the list the Board approved in their August 2020 public hearing.

Commr. Breeden indicated that she had reviewed the list and that she had come up with potentially $700,000 from the following quality of life projects that she suggested be delayed for a year: $100,000 from Lake Idamere Park; $100,000 from the Minneola Athletic Complex; and the $500,000 from the East Lake Sports and Community Complex. She relayed that she was in the Office of Parks and Trails for several years, and opined that the County had done amazing things, noting that her recommendation did not mean that the projects were not important.

Commr. Campione inquired if the purpose of this suggestion for shifting funding was to place the funding towards the PD&E studies.

Commr. Breeden explained that it was specifically for the one that was the top priority, which was River to Hills North Lake Phase III which was the one that connected from the City of Umatilla to Astor. She said that one of the reasons that was important, even though the PD&E might be more expensive, was because it did not have a lot of ROW costs since it went through the forest. She opined it was practical even though more expensive on the frontend.

Commr. Campione said that once they had the PD&E competed, the County had the ROW to a large degree; therefore, it would mostly be the construction of the trail.

Mr. Cole relayed that Mr. Schneider would be reporting to the Board in October 2020 to discuss trails.

Commr. Campione asked if there was any funding currently allocated for the Wekiva Trail Segment 5 which might become available if the County did receive the Bridge grant.

Mr. Cole replied that the only funding for trails was the $450,000 which was allocated for trails but nothing specific.

Commr. Sullivan suggested to take the funding discussed and move it to the trails specifically so that there was flexibility, noting that priorities could change if the County received any federal or state grants. He explained that there was funding at the State level for trails that could potentially be accessed; therefore, he said that whatever project might best fit that grant funding, would then give the County flexibility to shift the funding to a different trail. He relayed support for this recommendation. He stated that he liked the flexibility of having the trails in the Public Works Department. He realized that this took away from the Office of Parks and Trails; however, the Office of Parks and Trails had an important part in trails. He opined this would get it to the point where the feasibility studies could be performed.

Commr. Breeden mentioned that she was not advocating to make this a habit to take from the Office of Parks and Trails.

Commr. Campione commented that if funding was taken from the East Lake Sports and Community Complex, then it might not necessarily be funded the following year since it would not be known what might be programmed for the following year.

Commr. Breeden indicated that the $500,000 would complete the park so the following year would be Phase II, noting that it would be delaying Phase II for a year.

Commr. Parks expressed concern for what the County might be putting off and how it would affect this. He recalled that Commissioner Blake had made proposals the previous year to delay items, and the Board had said no to moving items around. He opined that funding was tight and that he had concerns with this as it would affect the East Lake Sports and Community Complex and the Minneola Athletic Complex. He said he would want to know more about the suggestion. He hoped there might be a legislative change that would allow tourist development taxes (TDT) to fund studies such as this one, possibly the following year. He opined the only other place to get the funding was from the General Fund.

Commr. Breeden stated that it could potentially come from reserves.

Commr. Campione said she would not want to make any changes to the parks at this meeting until they had input from the advocates for those parks.

Commr. Breeden remarked that Mr. Bobby Bonilla, Director for the Office of Parks and Trails, might have some recommendations, noting that she had not yet spoken with him. She reiterated that this was merely a proposal for the Board to consider.

Commr. Campione encouraged being creative regarding this matter. She wanted to wait for Mr. Schneider’s presentation in October 2020; furthermore, she suggested that one of the legislative priorities could be to focus on lifting some of the restrictions on the TDT funding so that it could be used to enhance trails. She opined this might be a better approach then shifting funding since the current process for parks and trails projects had been working well.

Commr. Sullivan said that he was fine with this but desired to revisit this item in October 2020 as he thought it should continue to be addressed. He mentioned that he was Chairman of the Tourist Development Council (TDC) and thought that if they could get the State Legislature to fund treating the hydrilla issue in the Harris Chain of Lakes since that was something that TDT funding could be used for, then that would possible free up funding for other items. He encouraged setting priorities on items that gave the best return on investment (ROI), and he opined that trails did that for the county. He encouraged setting the County legislative agenda soon since the session would be held earlier this year. He said that the business communities and the Cities had interest in trails as well; therefore, he reiterated his desire to bring this item back for discussion at a later BCC meeting.

Commr. Campione opined that the challenge with trail funding was that it had to be started somewhere and it took a while to get from point A to point B since there was planning, ROW acquisition, construction, and ongoing maintenance costs. She opined that the return on investment for trails was not immediate, and that the ROI for other projects should be considered since they might come sooner than for trails. She encouraged obtaining public input from residents regarding trails to determine if they wanted the Board to focus on trails moving forward.

Mr. Cole mentioned that he had reached out to the County lobbyists the previous day regarding the timing for legislative priorities. He indicated that the lobbyists had requested that the County submit those by the end of October 2020, noting that staff would be meeting the following day to begin to assemble those priorities and would come back to the Board in October 2020 for their input and guidance.

On a motion by Commr. Breeden, seconded by Commr. Sullivan, and carried by a 4-1 vote, the Board approved to adopt the changes to the FY 2021 recommended budget totaling $32,504,699.

Commr. Blake voted no.

FY 2021 tentative budget

Ms. Barker stated that the requested action was for approval to adopt the FY 2021 tentative budget totaling $489,083,839.

Commr. Parks reiterated his concerns about not building reserves while discussing all the items that the County wanted to accomplish as well as issues with moving around penny sales tax and hoping for legislative changes. He opined that the budget was tight, although he said he would support the budget because he felt that overall it was good. He appreciated what Mr. Cole and County staff had done to be efficient and value oriented. He said that while some surrounding counties were lower in their reserves, other counties were higher such as Osceola County and Seminole County, as well as the Cities of Orlando and Tampa.

Commr. Campione opined that these areas also had huge commercial interests that enhanced their tax rolls significantly while Lake County largely depended on their residential tax base which she felt the reserve level reflected. She stated that the purpose of the reserves was to be able to handle emergencies and to have good financial ratings. She reiterated that the County policy was seven to twelve percent. She asked how much was being added to reserves.

Ms. Barker replied that they were going from about $12 million to $15.5 million, which was about $3.5 million, noting that the percentage was about the same.

Commr. Campione stated that got the County to the ten percent mark.

Commr. Parks opined that was good; however, his perspective was that a day’s operating cash in the business world would make that about 30 days for the County. He thought it should be higher and supported 16 percent as a minimum with no more than 20 percent. He commented that he would support the budget, but that was his perspective based on everything the County was trying to do.

Commr. Blake thanked Mr. Cole and Ms. Barker for their hard work.

Commr. Parks expressed his appreciation for all the County staff.

Commr. Breeden congratulated Ms. Barker on receiving the Government Finance Officers Association’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the County’s annual budget for the fiscal year beginning on October 1, 2019.

On a motion by Commr. Breeden, seconded by Commr. Sullivan, and carried by a 4-1 vote, the Board approved to adopt the FY 2021 tentative budget totaling $489,083,839.

Commr. Blake voted no.

final budget hearing

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Blake, and carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved to hold a public hearing for the final adoption of the FY 2021 millage rates and budget on September 29, 2020, at 5:05 p.m. or as soon thereafter as possible in the Board of County Commission Chambers, 315 West Main Street, Tavares, Florida.

commissioner sullivan comments

Commr. Sullivan mentioned that Amazon would become part of the Lake County community as they were building a 200,000 square foot delivery station at the Christopher C. Ford Commerce Park as part of their last mile delivery network, noting that it would be bringing 220 full time employees to the county and was expected to be operational by the second quarter of 2021.

CARES ACT Funding discussion

Commr. Breeden said her comments were regarding the CARES Act funding for the Cities, noting that earlier in the meeting the Board gave direction to Mr. Cole that the funding could not be utilized for business or housing assistance. She shared that she had received comments from the City of Leesburg which wanted to assist businesses in the Lake Square Mall area since loss of business at the mall affected tax revenue. She believed that the City approved $500,000 for the mall area but asked Mr. Cole if he had any information on this.

Mr. Cole relayed that he had talked with Mr. Al Minner, Leesburg City Manager, that afternoon; however, he was not certain of the specifics of their plan. He believed it involved the Leesburg Partnership and the Lake Square Mall as well as some other funding opportunities that they were considering.

Commr. Sullivan shared that he had received calls regarding this matter. He opined that the Board’s direction was to ensure that funding was going to businesses. He thought that the City of Leesburg plan’s objectives were the same as the County’s objectives; furthermore, the City’s plan was to help businesses and their focus was on the downtown and mall area. He believed that their plan was in line with what the County wanted to do; therefore, he thought that the County could control this by approving the City’s plan. He reiterated that he believed that the City of Leesburg desired to assist businesses that were affected by COVID-19 rather than spend the funding on COVID-19 related items internally. He suggested approving their plan in the September 25, 2020 BCC special meeting.

Commr. Campione wondered if the Board should separate the reimbursement type items related to the municipalities from the business side; additionally, should the BCC incorporate what the City was doing in regards to large tenants or theatres who might be struggling, noting that the Lake Square Mall had a theatre which could be adding to the revenue loss. She suggested reviewing the larger picture, while utilizing the City of Leesburg concept, to make it a countywide endeavor.

Commr. Sullivan thought that leveraged what the City of Leesburg desired to do with their funding and allowed them to help their own businesses, noting that the County was dealing with twice as many businesses that were losing revenues. He opined that the City’s plan met the same criteria of what the County wanted to do, and noted that the City’s proposed funding amounts were larger than the County’s.

Commr. Campione recommended possibly having another tier which would address these types of situations across the county as there might be other locations similar to this.

Mr. Cole stated that the Cities’ plans were due by the coming Friday. He shared that while the City of Leesburg had been a great partner in their communication with the County, he wanted the Board to be aware that the City of Minneola had not reached out to him to discuss this funding; furthermore, he indicated that the Minneola Mayor had reached out to Congressman Daniel Webster’s Office to complain about the BCC’s action in the earlier portion of the meeting as well as ask for federal and State intervention.

Commr. Parks mentioned that he had seen a social media post which implied that the Board was requiring the City of Minneola to spend more on government spending.

Commr. Campione said that was completely the opposite of what the Board was attempting to do as they were trying to get the funding to those who needed it in order to assist the most people and to help businesses survive.

Mr. Cole relayed that the information that the Minneola Mayor posted on social media as well as the information they conveyed to Congressman Webster’s Office was completely inaccurate; furthermore, it could have been resolved by a professional conversation with the County Manager so they could explain how the process would work. He explained that the BCC were the ones who decided to take some of the CARES Act funding and provide it to the Cities, noting that the BCC did not have any obligation to do such since they were awarding funding to residents and businesses within the city and county with no consideration of boundaries. He said that it was disappointing and frustrating, but noted that he wanted the Board to be aware of what happened as they discussed these items.

Commr. Campione asked if the information had been corrected and if there had been discussion with the City of Minneola.

Mr. Cole replied that there had not been any contact made by the City; however, he planned to respond to Congressman Webster’s Office to explain the facts.

Commr. Blake mentioned that he had also spoken to some individuals from the City of Leesburg, and he expressed concerns for it to be equitable. He gave the example that there might be a large hotel in a different part of the county which might have had to lay off individuals, but then there might be something funneled through a City who could make an award of funding, and then it might not be equitable countywide if doing it that way.

Commr. Breeden thought that part of the City of Leesburg’s thought process was based on that if the money had to be up fronted, then they had some funding that they could use which the County did not have as much. She opined they were trying to be helpful.

Commr. Blake relayed that he did not disagree with the desire, but merely that he wanted to ensure it was equitable to similar size businesses.

Commr. Campione recommended reviewing the City of Leesburg’s plan to see to what extent it might have for application countywide that the County could possibly use for larger tenants, sectors, or industries which might be above what the County was attempting to do with their grant funding. She indicated that her concern was the equity of it and having equal treatment so that some businesses did not have access that others might not have.

Commr. Sullivan reiterated his concerns for duplication. He suggested incorporating into the plans a requirement that a business could not receive funding from a City and also the County.

Commr. Parks thought this should be part of the housing assistance as well.

Mr. Cole remarked that if the Board desired, he could reach out to Mr. Minner and inform him to proceed with submitting his plan as prepared.

The Board expressed consensus for this.

Commr. Campione suggested that in regards to the other Cities, to tell them that if they had developed business plans, then to submit those so that the County could formulate a process which could be applied equally throughout the county.

Commr. Parks reiterated that the Board was trying to be equal, efficient and not be duplicative.

Commr. Breeden suggested encouraging the Cities to participate in the virtual special BCC meeting the following Friday.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to be brought to the attention of the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 6:50 p.m.

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leslie campione, chairman

ATTEST:

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GARY J COONEY, CLERK